We urgently need more breakthroughs for people with cancer.
Today, in the UK, someone is diagnosed with cancer every 90 seconds which means we urgently need more breakthroughs.
At The Royal Marsden, world-leading experts are developing new, more effective cancer treatments, saving the lives of people with cancer, like Lucy and Nick, across the UK and beyond.
The research that takes place at The Royal Marsden also leads to the development of new surgical techniques and improvements to existing methods that are adopted by surgeons worldwide.
Lucy’s story
Lucy, 49, was diagnosed with stage three melanoma in 2011. She had surgery to remove the cancer and surrounding lymph nodes, but two years later, she received the devastating news that her disease had progressed, and she had just months to live.
Thankfully, Lucy was referred to The Royal Marsden where she joined the international Checkmate 067 trial and received life-saving treatment. The trial involved taking a combination of immunotherapy drugs – ipilimumab and nivolumab. Thanks to this trial, in which Professor Larkin and his team at The Royal Marsden played a leading role, these drugs have since been approved and made available on the NHS, offering hope to thousands of melanoma patients.
Lucy is now on a different treatment but says “I wouldn’t be here without the combination immunotherapy treatment I received, it saved my life.”
Nick’s story
In 2016, Nick was diagnosed with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. He was successfully treated at The Royal Marsden with chemotherapy, but four years into remission he was told that his cancer had returned. Thankfully, advances in treatment at The Royal Marsden meant Nick had more options than were available when he was first diagnosed.
Nick was put on innovative treatment including a form of immunotherapy called CAR-T therapy, which uses a patient’s own immune system to attack the cancer cells.
Today, Nick is enjoying life with his family and says “The Royal Marsden saved my life. Not once, but twice.”
