In August 2023, 77-year-old Richard was diagnosed with myeloma, a type of blood cancer. It was picked up after his GP ran a blood test to investigate pain in his back, following a fall.
“As soon as I heard the word cancer, I thought the worst. I think a lot of people do. Initially, I was booked in to have chemotherapy at my local hospital in Brighton.
“I was asked if I’d thought about joining a clinical trial, which is something I wouldn't have considered. It was quite a big decision, but I decided to sign up.”
Joining the CAR-T clinical trial
Richard came to The Royal Marsden in September 2023 and met with Consultant Haematologist Dr Kevin Boyd, who began the process of enrolling Richard onto the trial. He began with 18 weeks of chemotherapy, before being informed that he had been selected for CAR-T therapy.
What is CAR-T therapy?
CAR-T therapy is a cellular therapy, a type of pioneering immunotherapy which harnesses the patient’s own immune system to fight cancer. CAR-T therapy can give patients another option if their cancer has become resistant to traditional treatments, such as chemotherapy. This type of research at The Royal Marsden is supported by funding from The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity.
The process of CAR-T therapy involves:
- Taking a patient's T cells
- Expanding and activating them in a lab
- Reinfusing them back into the patient - the cells are then better able to recognise and attack cancer cells.
“I felt incredibly lucky to be offered this treatment,” says Richard.
“They spent three days preparing my immune system for the reintroduction of the infused CAR-T cells – it completely knocked my immune system out!”
“After this, the T cells were reinserted into my body, which felt like a big event! They were taken out of the box by the team, and put into water, to warm the cells up. The actual infusion felt very short.
"I felt very honoured to be receiving this treatment, it felt very surreal.
“I stayed at The Royal Marsden in Sutton for around two weeks after my infusion before being able to go home. I then needed to come back every fortnight for monitoring and to check my bloods – which were slowly going back to a normal level.
“I was eventually told that my bloods were normal around six months after my treatment, which was incredible.
"I was happy to take part in the trial, whichever arm I ended up on, as I knew my involvement would help others in the future.”
Getting life back to normal after the trial
Now, Richard is back at the Oak Cancer Centre in Sutton every four weeks for an immunotherapy booster and bone strengthening infusion. The CAR-T trial resulted in him being immunocompromised for a while, but he is now beginning to return to the activities he enjoyed before his diagnosis.
“Thanks to this treatment, I’ve now got my life back. We’re just getting back to normal, retired life now. I’ve just been given the green light from my clinical team to start singing in my choir again.
“The Royal Marsden clinical teams have all been absolutely fantastic, and it makes such a difference being treated somewhere like the Oak Cancer Centre. As well as the modern facilities, I think it’s brilliant that everything is all in the same place – patients and researchers alike. By being part of this clinical trial I am contributing to the amazing research projects being conducted here – to help patients at The Royal Marsden and further afield.”
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