"Exploring the side effects of immunotherapy is such an important area of research"
Melanoma patient, Tash, shares her experience of receiving life-saving immunotherapy treatment at The Royal Marsden, a world-leading centre for immunotherapy drug development.
At just 38, Tash was diagnosed with melanoma, a serious form of skin cancer that had already started to spread locally. After surgery elsewhere followed by a year of immunotherapy treatment at The Royal Marsden, Tash is now cancer free and back to living her normal life.
The Royal Marsden has remained at the forefront of developing immunotherapy, which uses the power of the body’s own immune system to identify and eradicate the cancer cells. This treatment has helped cancer patients across the UK and beyond, made possible by donations to The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity. By including a gift in your Will to The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, you’ll help fund cutting-edge research, giving hope to future patients affected by cancer, like Tash. Explore how you can support cancer research by including a gift in your Will.
Tash’s melanoma diagnosis – “I just wasn’t expecting it at all”
Tash became concerned after noticing a mole on her upper right arm that had suddenly become darker and bumpy. After a doctor’s initial examination, she had the mole removed in her local hospital.
“Six weeks later, I got a phone call telling me to come back into the hospital. I still didn't really think that much of it.
“The results of the surgery confirmed a diagnosis of melanoma which had already started to spread locally. Doctors began some scans to detect where the cancerous sites were. I had a biopsy, CT and MRI which thankfully showed that there was no further spread to the rest of my body. I was so relieved to hear this.
“They then arranged for me to have a bigger operation to dig out more of the original mole area, just to make sure that they had removed every single possible tiny bit of cancer that they could.”
Beginning immunotherapy in expert hands at The Royal Marsden
“My hospital suggested that I start immunotherapy treatment, so my care was transferred over to The Royal Marsden under Dr Andrew Furness.”
Dr Andrew Furness, Consultant Medical Oncologist and Solid Tumour Cellular Therapy Lead at The Royal Marsden is part funded by The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity.
Tash started on Dabrafenib and Tafinlar, two medications which block certain proteins that help cancer cells to grow. This immunotherapy aimed to attack and destroy any remaining cancer cells that might have been left after surgery and to prevent the cancer from coming back.
However, after experiencing strong flu-like symptoms from the outset - shaking uncontrollably in the night, fevers and body aches - Tash was offered another type of immunotherapy treatment called Nivolumab: “I didn’t have any side effects at all, just a little bit of tiredness!”
Life after treatment
“Since my immunotherapy treatment finished, I have regular scans at the hospital to monitor how I’m doing. We have been pretty busy selling my flat, house hunting and now nearing the end of our purchase crossing all our fingers it will go through before Rudi starts his new nursery in September! So the next couple months will be packing and unpacking. Then hopefully we can book a holiday in October as we haven’t had one for over a year! Lots to get through and look forward to.
“I may not be here without the work of The Royal Marsden and everything the Charity does to support. I can't stress how important The Royal Marsden is, especially the staff who work at the hospital and for the Charity, who have been so amazing to me.
“I really want to reiterate just how amazing the nurses at The Royal Marsden are. They quickly realised how bad I was with needles, so they would ensure that I had extra support whenever I was having a cannula put in. They just figured out ways of tailoring all my treatment just to me. Everything at The Royal Marsden feels very personalised.”
Did you know?
Thanks to support from the Charity, The Royal Marsden has been at the forefront of developing immunotherapy, helping cancer patients in the UK and around the world. Teams at the hospital continue to carry out groundbreaking immunotherapy research, which has led to the development of innovative, new drug combinations, saving more lives.
Just 15 years ago, advanced melanoma was considered untreatable, with only 5% of patients surviving beyond five years. Today, thanks to research at The Royal Marsden, over 50% of patients treated for advanced melanoma are surviving the disease beyond ten years when they receive a combination immunotherapy treatment.
Gifts in Wills help make groundbreaking research possible.
With your support we can help fund the development of immunotherapy treatments that give hope to more patients like Tash.
Including a gift of any size will help us change the lives of cancer patients and their loved ones, long into the future.
