Cait, a vet from Cornwall, was 41 when she found out she had stage 4 melanoma. 13 years on from being part of a groundbreaking immunotherapy clinical trial at The Royal Marsden, she’s grateful that she can enjoy a normal, healthy life again with her family.
How it started
“It was a bit of an odd one - I had had a lump removed from my face about five or six years before being diagnosed, but at the time I was told it was benign.
“Then, in 2013, I had a cough which wouldn't go away. I went to my GP, and they sent me for an X-ray and was told I had a mass in my lung. Following a biopsy, I was given the diagnosis of stage 4 melanoma.
“At the time, my son and daughter were quite young, and I had just started my job as an out of hours vet. It was an absolute roller coaster.”
Groundbreaking immunotherapy treatment and research at The Royal Marsden
“To go from having a niggling cough that wouldn't go away to be told you’ve got stage 4 cancer was absolutely overwhelming. I was really healthy, running and being so active, so the diagnosis came as a massive shock.
“A consultant at my local hospital said straight away, 'your best chance is to go on a clinical trial'."
Cait was referred to The Royal Marsden and joined the Checkmate 067 clinical trial under the care of Professor James Larkin. Supported by Charity funding, this double-blind trial tests the effectiveness of two immunotherapy drugs, nivolumab and ipilimumab, in treating patients with advanced melanoma. In a double-blind trial like Checkmate 067, neither the participants nor researchers know who is receiving the actual treatment or a placebo, which aims to minimise bias and produce more reliable results.
“You're supposed to have 12 rounds of immunotherapy treatment on the Checkmate 067 trial, but I only ever had six weekly sessions of treatment because it made me feel poorly – I had to go on steroids. I remember I was determined to take the kids to the New Year’s Eve fireworks in London. It was a crazy plan but I got there, despite feeling awful.
“I was trying not to let on how poorly I was because I wanted to carry on having the treatment for as long as possible. Eventually I had to stop, as the side effects were too severe.”
“I almost undoubtedly would not be here if I hadn’t gone on the trial”
“It’s incredible that I only had a few doses of the treatment and I responded so well. I had regular check-ups for several years, and I’ve been clear of cancer ever since!
“During my scans, I was told the cancer was stable, and then I had a disease shrinkage. Today, there is some calcified tissue in my lung, but it’s never changed in all these years, so we don’t worry about that. I feel absolutely normal today.
“I almost undoubtedly would not be here if I hadn’t gone onto the trial. To go from having a death sentence to being almost “cured” is amazing. Staff at The Royal Marsden never used the “cure” word, but there is now no evidence of disease, and there hasn’t been for quite a long time.
“My kids were so young when I was first diagnosed. I decided early in the treatment that I had to get through this for them. They’re all grown up now - Eli is now 23 and has graduated with a Chemistry Masters, I think he will go on to do a PhD. Ella is 21 and is at Central St. Martins in London. They've finally come through everything and are doing well.
“There would always be this fear coming up to the next scan about whether the cancer had come back. Gradually, over time, that fear faded. When I first finished the trial and I wasn't having those yearly scans, that was a big moment.”
“I realise how incredibly lucky I am”
“I am eternally grateful to The Royal Marsden and for the care that I got there. It's an amazing place. It’s so efficient and you can tell it's a centre of excellence. I always felt reassured when I was there and I never had any interaction with anybody which wasn't positive.
“All the clinicians are so skilled. The way they talk to you, the way they follow up - everything is great. I realise how incredibly lucky I am.
“My daughter, Ella, has been ill the last couple of years. She’s through it now, but having been able to help her through it means a lot.
“I was on the trial in 2013, and it’s wonderful to know I was part of initial research that could develop a new first line treatment for people with melanoma. Life today is overall really good and I’m so grateful to be here to enjoy it.”
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Thanks to your generosity, we can support groundbreaking research at The Royal Marsden, like the Checkmate 067 trial. Together, we can give people like Cait the chance to share more precious moments with their loved ones.
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