A man with cancer was told he didn't need treatment for 16 years.
John McCormick was first diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a type of cancer that develops in the lymphatic system, 20 years ago when he was 50. He was told that he didn't need any treatment for the cancer for 16 years, but four years ago the cancer became more aggressive.
The retired chartered engineer underwent seven cycles of chemotherapy and then a stem-cell transplant, which unfortunately failed to keep the cancer at bay, and his condition worsened less than a year later. He found himself cornered, with his only option being clinical trials and was referred to The Christie NHS Foundation Trust just before Christmas 2020.
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The 70-year-old from New Brighton was recruited onto an international commercial early phase clinical trial at the NIHR Manchester Clinical Research Facility (CRF) at The Christie and just six weeks after starting a combined immunotherapy treatment he was in partial remission.
His scans after three months showed he was in complete remission with no signs of lymphoma. He is now fit, well and free of cancer, just having to go to The Christie once a month for ongoing treatment.
John, who has only just turned 70, said: “The outlook was bleak 14 months ago but The Christie gave me hope straight away. I had a good reaction almost immediately to the combination treatment and now I only receive the trial immunotherapy drug. The chemotherapy I previously received was pretty brutal but the immunotherapy drugs have far less side effects which means I have experienced a much better quality of life.”
At the start of June John is going to walk 130 kilometres along part of the pilgrim’s route, the Camino de Santiago, in Northern Spain to raise money for The Christie charity which will go towards further research to find treatments for lymphoma.
Talking about his trip, John said: “I’ve wanted to walk the Camino de Santiago for a long time. I’ll be doing the Western section finishing in Santiago. It’s a big challenge for me to walk for six days and I’m building up my strength. It’s a fantastic walk and it’s been a pilgrimage since the 9th century so many pilgrims have passed along that way.
"For me I believe that it will prove to be a profound spiritual experience and a celebration of my regained good health. Some of it I’ll walk with friends and other parts on my own. I’m looking forward to meeting people along the way and explore their motivations for being there."
Dr Kim Linton, consultant oncologist at The Christie, who is leading on the study said: “We are delighted at the response John has had to this treatment. His case highlights the potential benefits that clinical trials of new drugs can hold and gives hope to people. He was the first patient at The Christie to trial this combination of drugs, and results so far are extremely promising.
"The clinical development programme is very rapid and we could see this drug combination being used routinely within the NHS in less than two years. This is really good news for patients who have relapsed, as this treatment is looking effective across many different types of lymphoma.”
More information about John’s challenge and how to donate can be found here.
