Leigh nan cancer free after taking part in trial at The Christie

With a collaborative trial set up between University College London, UCLH, The Christie in Manchester, St. James’s University Hospital in Leeds, University Hospital Southampton and the University of Glasgow, an immunotherapy drug called pembrolizumab has been given to bowel cancer patients before surgery, instead of chemotherapy.

While the findings are only interim results, they showed significantly more patients with a certain genetic profile were cancer free after surgery when using this approach, which could help between 2,000 and 3,000 bowel cancer patients in the UK every year.

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Eileen was diagnosed with stage 3 bowel cancer in July 2023 (Image: The Christie)
One of the patients on this trial was Leyther Eileen Unsworth, who is married to Peter, and has four grown-up children and five grandchildren, and initially went to the doctor a year ago with a suspected thyroid problem.

After beginning to feel breathless while walking her black Labrador, Eileen was referred to The Christie in July 2023 and after doctors discovered a tumour in her colon, she was diagnosed with stage 3 bowel cancer.

However, Eileen was told that she was suitable to take part in the clinical trial which was testing pembrolizumab as a treatment given before surgery for some types of colorectal (bowel) cancer.

Eileen, 77, said: "I‘ve never actually felt ill or had any pain. It might seem strange, but I always thought whatever happens I’ll be OK. I never thought I was going to die, and I didn’t even get upset. I told all the children I was going to be OK and not to worry, so nobody did. 

"The only thing we decided to do was cancel our 50th wedding anniversary celebrations last September as I was still having the treatment and wasn’t in the mood.

Eileen, who had three cycles of pembrolizumab administered via a drip into the arm added: “The immunotherapy only took 20 minutes, and although I didn’t feel unwell, I always felt so much better after it. It was like a tonic and gave me a boost.”

Eileen said she felt 'so much better' after the treatment (Image: The Christie)

Eileen was then admitted to The Christie for her planned operation just before Christmas to remove part of the colon and bowel, and she recovered so well she was able to go home on Boxing Day. The immunotherapy was so successful that there was only a microscopic amount of the tumour left at the time of surgery.

“I didn’t mind being in on Christmas day", Eileen added.

 “I got a nice present and a Christmas dinner and my husband visited me with my granddaughter. All the nurses dressed up a bit so there was a lovely atmosphere.

"I was told that the cancer had responded extremely well to the immunotherapy and that there was no need for chemotherapy. I just go back for scans every few months now.

“I was very surprised when I was offered a trial as I thought people my age weren’t suitable for them, but that’s obviously not the case.

"The experience has been brilliant, and I’ve not looked back. I feel very lucky.  It’s wonderful what they can do now. I’d recommend a clinical trial to anyone. Trust the science."

Eileen with her husband Peter (Image: The Christie)
In this trial, researchers from UCL recruited 32 patients with stage two or three bowel cancer and a certain genetic profile from five hospitals across the UK. Around 10-15% of patients with stage two or three bowel cancer have the right genetic make-up for this immunotherapy treatment called pembrolizumab.

Patients were given nine weeks of pembrolizumab prior to surgery instead of the usual treatment of chemotherapy and surgery, then monitored over time.

Results indicate that 59% of patients had no signs of cancer after treatment with pembrolizumab, with any cancer in the remaining 41% of patients removed during surgery.

All of the patients in the trial were cancer-free after treatment and are still cancer-free many months later. When standard care conventional chemotherapy is given to patients with this genetic profile, less than 5% have no signs of cancer after surgery.

Over the next few years, the trial will also assess overall survival and relapse rates.