Man with terminal cancer cleared of disease thanks to experimental drug

A 51-year-old man who was given only a year to live after a cancer diagnosis is now disease-free thanks to a UK trial of a new drug regime.

Robert Glynn, who hails from Worsley in Greater Manchester, was diagnosed with deadly bile duct cancer in August 2020.

His cancer diagnosis was accidental. He had gone to see his GP after developing an infection in his gall bladder. By that time, cancer had already spread to his adrenal gland and liver. The doctors could not have operated on the tumours.

He was referred to the Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester, where he was offered a chance to participate in a clinical trial of an immunotherapy drug. The drug is already being used for lung, kidney, and esophageal cancers.

The doctors at Christie's combined the treatment with standard chemotherapy and managed to get unbelievable results.

The tumour in Glynn's liver shrank from 12 cm to 2.6 cm, while the one in his adrenal gland shrank from 7 cm to 4.1 cm. This implied that the doctors could now operate on him and remove the tumours.

The surgeons only found dead tissue, which meant the treatment killed all cancer cells in Glynn's body. "They didn't find any active cancer cells at all. They tested the tumours twice because they couldn't quite believe it," said Glynn.

"One of the nurses at the Christie said it was a miracle. I don't like that word – I'm just an ordinary bloke – but it's definitely remarkable. Without the trial I wouldn't be here," he added.

Glynn was operated on in April this year, and he has been doing well since then. His monthly scans show he is clear of cancer.

Meanwhile, the experiments are still going on with other patients, according to a report in The Guardian. The drug's name has not been revealed due to the experimental nature of this trial for bile duct cancer.

In the UK, about 1,000 people are diagnosed with bile duct cancer every year, and only 5% of them live for five years or more after diagnosis.