After participating in a clinical trial, a woman with breast cancer was told that she has beaten the disease.
Jasmin David (51), of Manchester was diagnosed in 2017 with an aggressive form breast cancer.
It had spread two years later and she began a trial at The Christie hospital using an experimental medicine along with an immunotherapy drug.
After scans revealed no signs of cancer, she said that she felt “reborn”.
According to The Christie, Ms. David found a lump in her nipple on November 2017, according to The Christie.
Six months of chemotherapy followed by a mastectomy in April 2018 were followed by 15 rounds of radiotherapy, which removed all remaining cancer cells.
However, the cancer returned in October 2019. She was given a poor prognosis after scans revealed that it had spread to her lung, lymph nodes, and chest bone.
Two months later, the mother of two was offered a trial at The Christie for a experimental medicine and Atezolizumab (an immunotherapy drug) for a period of two years.
According to doctors, she has no signs of the disease.
Ms. David stated, “When I was offered the trial, I wasn’t sure if it would be for me. But I thought at the least I could help others and use the body for the next generation.”
“Initially, I experienced terrible side effects such as headaches and high temperatures. I ended up in hospital for Christmas. I was very sick. I began to respond to the treatment, which was a good thing.
“Two-and-a-half years ago, I believed it was the end. Now I feel like I’ve been born again.”
Ms. David, who lives in Fallowfield said to BBC Radio Manchester that she was here because of The Christie and medical research.
After returning from India in April to visit her mother, 97 years old, she said that she decided to retire early and live a life of gratitude to God as well as medical science.
Ms. David stated that it was emotional to return to India after two years of being away to say goodbye.
She stated that she had so much to look forward too, including her 25th anniversary as a married woman in September.
The clinical trial will continue through December 2023.
Professor Fiona Thistlethwaite is the medical oncologist at The Christie and clinical director. She said that it is a great moment for everyone when someone responds so well to treatment like Jasmin did.
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