At present only 700 of the 7,500 people a year in Britain who develop pancreatic cancer undergo surgery. This is because it has been virtually impossible to operate on the cancer if it has spread.

For many, like 55-year-old Swayze, thought to have got cancer due to his 60-a-day smoking habit, the only alternative to surgery is chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Mr Fusai, who carried out the procedure with fellow surgeon Dinesh Sharma, is excited by the possibilities the treatment now offers. 

He said: “This now gives us more options to help patients suffering from this dreadful cancer which has just about the worst survival rates of all cancers.”

The 10-hour operation requires the expertise of vascular surgeons who remove part of the jugular vein so it can replace the cancerous portal vein.

The first patient to be operated on in this way by the Royal Free team, a woman in her 50s from London, is recovering well after surgery. 

More similar operations are planned soon.