A grandfather from Folkestone is the first in the world to be recruited to a study trialling a new treatment for patients who have suffered a relapse of lymphoma, a type of blood cancer.
The study is a phase 3 trial, testing the new drug against other available treatments in people whose cancer has relapsed.
The team hope it will be more effective and have fewer side effects than other options such as chemotherapy.
Previous trials of the drug established it was safe for patients and that it could potentially kill cancer cells.
Terry, who is 82 and lives in Cheriton, said:
“I was absolutely honoured and chuffed to bits to learn that I am the first in the world on this trial – the numero uno! They gave me the news after I had taken the first tablet and it was quite a significant moment to think of what that meant. I was a bit nervous at first, because a trial is a test and you don’t know if you will see the results, but even if it doesn’t do me any good I hope it will help someone else in the future.”
The trial drug is a tablet known as immune modulatory therapy, meaning it releases small molecules that bind to protein and kill cancer cells. It has previously been tested as a first line treatment for newly diagnosed cancer patients, but this trial investigates its effectiveness in patients whose disease has returned. Patients are randomly selected to receive the treatment or an existing drug, and their progress will be compared. Terry was randomised to test the new treatment, and will take it daily for two weeks each month for a year.
He said:
“This is the most severe drug I have had, everything else I have sailed through. The capsule zonks me out and I get quite dozy with it, but I’m able to adjust the timings so I can take it at night and then have a really good sleep. I feel very lucky to have this option, and the team look after me so well and monitor me very closely. Everyone, from the receptionist and the housekeeper, to all the nursing staff and the doctors, are fantastic and I love chatting to them all.”
Terry, who spent 22 years in the army, was first diagnosed with follicular lymphoma six years ago. It is a type of blood cancer affecting lymphocytes, a crucial part of the immune system. Chemotherapy put it into remission, but it returned and he needed more treatment. He relapsed again earlier this year but is hopeful the trial drug is having an effect.
He said:
“It came back with a vengeance, but luckily Dr Young was straight on it. There was a spot on the inner chest wall which was growing fast and she wanted to hit it hard, so she suggested this trial. So far, all the signs are that it is working – I couldn’t swallow for a while, it felt like there was a blockage, but that is gone, and I had pain in my shoulder and that is gone too. My breathing was terrible at the start, I only had to look at a flight of stairs and I would gasp, but that is much better now.”
Dr Young, who is the lead investigator for the trial in the UK, said:
“This is a chemo-free option for patients who have already undergone some quite gruelling treatment and we are very excited to see the results. It is rare for the NHS to be able to recruit the first global patient but the team have worked incredibly hard to make this happen and to get the necessary approvals. Terry is the first of what we hope will be several hundred patients in countries around the world. We are so grateful to them all for being part of this study, which we hope will lead to better treatments for more patients in the future.”