A man who has just a year to live after being diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer is now unscathed thanks to a UK trial of a personalized drug regimen.
Robert Glynn, 51, a welder from Worsley in Greater Manchester, said he ‘wouldn’t be here’ if it weren’t for the remarkable results of the Christie’s run immunotherapy trial NHS foundation trust in Manchester.
Glynn was diagnosed with intrahepatic bile duct cancer a day before his 49th birthday in June 2020, after experiencing severe pain in his shoulder, which left him unable to sleep.
Also known as bile duct cancer, this aggressive condition causes the cells lining the bile ducts to multiply and grow more than they should. The bile ducts are small tubes that connect the liver, gallbladder, and small intestine (gut). They release bile in the intestine after eating, helping to digest fats.
By the time Glynn was diagnosed, the cancer had spread to his adrenal gland and liver, with tumors too big to operate on. He was classified as stage 4, with a poor prognosis.
“I asked my consultant to be honest and tell me how long I would have left if I continued like I was doing, and she said 12 months,” he said.
Around 1,000 people in the UK are diagnosed with bile duct cancer each year. For those, like Glynn, whose cancer has spread to other organs, only one in 50 people (2%) lived at least five years after their diagnosis, according to US studies cited by Liver Cancer UK.
Glynn was referred to Christie’s, where he was deemed a good candidate to participate in a clinical trial of an immunotherapy drug already approved for use in lung, kidney and esophageal cancer. Immunotherapy works by helping the immune system recognize and attack cancer cells.
Pre-treatment analysis of Glynn’s tumor showed he had a high mutation burden (a large number of genetic mutations in cells), suggesting he may have a good response to treatment.
The treatment, which is given by infusion and helps a person’s own immune system fight the cancer, was combined with standard chemotherapy.
The drug cannot be named due to the experimental nature of this trial for bile duct cancer.
His liver tumor shrank from 12cm to 2.6cm, while his adrenal gland tumor shrank from 7cm to 4.1cm. This means Glynn was able to undergo surgery in April to remove her tumors.
The surgeons found only dead tissue, meaning the treatment had killed all the cancer cells. “They found no active cancer cells. They tested the tumors twice because they couldn’t believe it,” Glynn said.
One of Christie’s nurses said it was a miracle. I don’t like that word – I’m just an ordinary block – but it’s definitely remarkable. Without the trial, I wouldn’t be here,” he added.
Since his operation in April this year, Glynn has not needed further treatment and his quarterly scans show he is cancer free.
Further studies are underway with more patients, in hopes of changing the treatment of bile duct cancer.
After learning about the link between obesity and cancer, Glynn also changed her diet completely, dropping five stones by cutting out all processed foods, refined sugar, dairy and milk. “It was the kick in the ass I needed to turn my life around,” he said.
Professor Juan Valle, consultant oncologist at Christie and world expert in bile duct cancer, said: “Robert did very well with this combination due to his tumor having a high mutation burden or a high number of genetic mutations.
“Most patients with this diagnosis don’t have as many mutations in their cancer cells, so treatment won’t be as effective, but it underscores the importance of personalized medicine.
“The results of this research and another larger study are eagerly awaited by colleagues around the world as it could lead to a change in the way we treat patients like Robert in the future.”
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