In 2020, Ian, a retired builder from Croydon, received devastating news: he had oesophageal cancer, cancer in his lymph nodes, and lesions on his liver. Here, he recounts his story and his life-changing decision to take part in a clinical trial at The Royal Marsden.
Ian’s diagnosis - “It was tough and overwhelming”
“I was diagnosed at the start of Covid. I didn’t really have any symptoms, only a loss of appetite. My wife told me to get checked out, but I didn’t think it would be cancer.
“My local hospital told me I had stage 4 cancer, and I thought that was it; it was tough and overwhelming to hear. I was referred to Professor Cunningham at The Royal Marsden who told me more details about the exact type of cancer I had.
“It was decided that surgery wasn’t going to be possible, so I had chemotherapy for six sessions, every three weeks. It went very well for the first five visits; it was only the sixth one that I found tough.
“On my first session, they gave me tablets called capecitabine to take - I’m still taking them today. They had mentioned the PLATFORM trial to me and once I knew about it, I said I wanted to be on it if possible. I didn’t have any other options so being on the trial was my only chance.”
What is the PLATFORM trial?
The PLATFORM trial aims to give more treatment options to people with oesophageal or stomach cancer which can’t be removed by surgery. Patients whose CT scans show disease stability or reduction following chemotherapy are given ‘maintenance’ treatment, such as the capecitabine tablet Ian takes.
Capecitabine is a type of chemotherapy called an anti-metabolite. The body changes capecitabine into a common chemotherapy drug called fluorouracil. Cancer cells need to make and repair DNA so they can multiply, and capecitabine stops cell production and repair, making it an effective treatment to stabilise or stop cancer growth.
Four years since Ian’s first round of chemotherapy
“I had been told I had six months left without treatment and maybe a year with treatment - but come January 2025 (when I started chemotherapy), it’s the start of my fourth year.
“I’m so happy and grateful to be on the trial; it means a lot to still be here today. I come into the West Wing Clinical Research Centre in Sutton every three weeks for my bloods and see the doctor, and then have a CT scan every 12 weeks.
“My last scan showed that the cancer has stabilised, and the cancer in the lymph nodes has shrunk too. With the lesions on my liver, both have shrunk down – one is just a scab and we’re waiting for the other one to fall off. It’s incredible when you think what I was told at the beginning – that I only had about a year to live.”
Ian praises The Royal Marsden’s ‘vital’ research
“I do like a holiday. We recently went to Cornwall and Windermere; in May I was in Cyprus for my sister’s birthday. I want to enjoy life and make the most of it - and being on the trial makes this possible.
“Research is so vital. If it weren’t for the research and the clinical trial I went on, then I wouldn’t be here now, I wouldn’t be here enjoying my life and spending time with my family.
“All the staff at The Royal Marsden are absolutely brilliant; I can talk to them about any of my problems, and I am always so well listened to. Everyone says I have the right attitude because I’m happy to talk about my diagnosis - I know I’ve got cancer, but I also know everything is being done for me. I’m receiving the best care, and being on the trial is giving me time.”
Help us fund innovative research, treatment and care
The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity is the largest charitable funder of research at The Royal Marsden. The £2.6 million West Wing Clinical Research Centre, opened in 2014, was originally funded by gifts in Wills left to the Charity. The facilities enable day-care patients on early-phase and late-phase clinical trials to be together in one space.
The pace of cancer research moves quickly, and it’s vital that The Royal Marsden’s clinicians and researchers can stay at the forefront of the latest advances. It’s thanks to our supporters that we can help fund pioneering clinical trials, state-of-the-art equipment, and world-leading cancer experts.
Learn more about all the ways you can support us.