A man diagnosed with only one year to live has now recovered thanks to a personalized drug trial in the UK.
The Guardian reports that Robert Glynn (51) from Worsley, Greater Manchester, believes he is alive today due to the results of immunotherapy in cancer treatment being tested by The Christie, a cancer center in Manchester, under the UK’s National Health Service.
Mr. Robert Glynn has overcome cancer thanks to a new treatment method. (Photo: Guardian)
In June 2020, after experiencing severe shoulder pain, he was diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma. By the time of diagnosis, Mr. Glynn’s cancer had reached stage 4, metastasizing to the adrenal glands and liver.
Cholangiocarcinoma, also known as bile duct cancer, causes the cells lining the bile ducts to multiply and grow more than normal. The bile ducts are small tubes that connect the liver, gallbladder, and small intestine, secreting bile into the intestine after eating to aid fat digestion.
Each year, around 1,000 people in the UK are diagnosed with bile duct cancer. For those who, like Mr. Glynn, experience metastasis to other organs, only 2% survive five years after diagnosis.
Subsequently, Mr. Glynn went to The Christie and volunteered for a clinical drug trial in immunotherapy. This therapy works by helping the immune system detect and attack cancer cells, combined with chemotherapy.
Throughout the trial, Mr. Glynn’s liver tumor shrank from 12 cm to 2.6 cm. The tumor in his adrenal gland reduced from 7 cm to 4.1 cm. This meant that he was eligible for surgery to remove the tumors in April.
Surgeons found only dead cells, indicating that the treatment had eradicated all cancer cells. After the surgery in April, Mr. Glynn required no further treatment, and quarterly check-ups have shown that he is cancer-free.
Further research is being conducted with other patients, with hopes that this could change the treatment landscape for cholangiocarcinoma.
