Worsley man given year to live now cancer-free after Christie's drug trial - BBC

A antheral who "jumped astatine the chance" to articulation a cause proceedings aft being diagnosed with crab and fixed 12 months to unrecorded has said "getting the all-clear was overwhelming".

Robert Glynn was diagnosed with a signifier of bile duct crab successful 2020 aft going to the GP with terrible enarthrosis pain.

He went connected to articulation an immunotherapy proceedings astatine Manchester's The Christie.

The 51-year-old from Worsley, Salford, said helium was "very fortunate arsenic I had the crab for 2 years and had nary idea".

Mr Glynn, who works arsenic a welder, was diagnosed aft suffering terrible symptom successful his enarthrosis which near him incapable to sleep.

He visited his GP and underwent scans and humor tests, but his crab was lone picked up by accidental erstwhile helium got an corruption successful his gall bladder.

The time earlier his 49th birthday, successful August 2020, helium was told helium had intrahepatic bile duct cancer, which was astatine an precocious signifier and had dispersed to his adrenal gland.

About 1,000 radical a twelvemonth are diagnosed with the crab each twelvemonth successful the UK.

He was referred to The Christie wherever helium was offered the accidental to enactment successful a objective proceedings of an unnamed experimental immunotherapy drug, combined with modular chemotherapy.

The attraction led to a tumour successful his liver shrinking from 12cm to 2.6cm, portion the 1 successful his adrenal gland shrank from 7cm to 4.1cm.

This meant Mr Glynn was capable to acquisition country successful April.

During the operation, surgeons recovered lone dormant tissue, which meant the attraction had killed disconnected each the crab cells.

Mr Glynn said erstwhile helium was "given the enactment to instrumentality portion successful research, I jumped astatine the chance".

"You bash thing you tin to widen your life," helium said.

"I consciousness precise fortunate arsenic I had the crab for 2 years and had nary idea, truthful getting the all-clear was overwhelming.

"I wouldn't beryllium present contiguous without the trial."

Since his operation, helium has had nary further attraction and his three-monthly scans showed helium was wholly wide of cancer.

The proceedings was tally by The Christie's Prof Juan Valle, who said the results of the probe and different larger survey had been "keenly anticipated by colleagues worldwide arsenic it could pb to a alteration successful however we dainty patients similar Robert successful the future".

"Robert has done precise good connected this operation owed to his tumour having... a precocious fig of familial mutations," helium said.

"Most patients with this diagnosis bash not person arsenic galore mutations successful their crab cells, truthful the attraction won't beryllium arsenic effective, but it does item the value of personalised medicine."

Mr Glynn said helium had changed his manner aft being diagnosed, cutting retired "all processed foods" and losing astir 5 chromatic (31kg).

"I realised you can't conscionable trust connected the doctors to assistance you, you request to assistance yourself too," helium said.

"It's besides important to stay affirmative and not springiness up. It's ne'er implicit until it's over."

He said helium was present looking guardant to the future.

"In an unusual benignant of way, having the diagnosis has turned my beingness around," helium said.

"With my partner, Simone, we get retired successful quality and locomotion loads.

"When thing similar this happens, you realise beingness is for living."

Why not travel BBC North West connected Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You tin besides nonstop communicative ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk