NHS to offer immunotherapy treatment, after builder with asbestos cancer sees tumour shrink to 5mm

A drug which has helped reduce tumours is being made available on the NHS, after a clinical trial saw up to 40 per cent success rate in patients with terminal asbestos cancer.

The move has been welcomed by 69-year-old Michael Conway, a former builder from Milton Keynes, whose asbestos-related cancer reduced within a few months of trialling the treatment.

Mr Conway was diagnosed with mesothelioma, a cancer of the lining of the lungs associated with exposure to asbestos, in 2017 at the age of 66. After his diagnosis, he asked specialist asbestos-related disease lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to investigate his illness and where he may have been exposed to the hazardous material.

Irwin Mitchell referred him to mesothelioma specialist Professor Dean Fennell, director of the Mesothelioma Research Programme at the Leicester Cancer Research Centre, who was working on the CheckMate-743 immunotherapy drug trial, with other international mesothelioma specialists.

The clinical trial of Nivolumab (Opdivo) in combination with Ipilimumab (Yervoy) works by boosting the immune system to attack the cancer.

After undergoing the immunotherapy treatment, Mr Conway’s tumours shrank from 21mm and 29mm to just 5mm, and having lived two years past his original prognosis date he is spending quality time with his family which at one time he didn’t think possible.

Mr Conway said: “To be diagnosed with mesothelioma was such a shock. I have never known a day’s illness in my life and the news turned our world upside down.

“To be told out of the blue you have an inoperable, terminal disease is devastating. You find yourself sitting at home thinking ‘why me’ and simply don’t know what to do or where to turn. Satpal Singh suggested we speak to a mesothelioma specialist and when they said I was eligible for the Checkmate trial, I jumped at the chance.”

He added: “At some points, I felt so little difference that I thought I must be on a placebo, but within a few months my tumours had shrunk. It was a miracle and Denise and I were overjoyed.

“I am still having regular checks but I have not needed any further treatment and there has been no further growth in the tumours. Despite the side effects, I am so grateful to Satpal Singh and the team for suggesting that we contact a specialist which then led to a place on the trial.

“I knew that even if the trial didn’t work for me, it could pave the way for better outcomes and cures for other patients in the future, so it is great to see the drug now available via the Early Access to Medicine Scheme scheme and an option for others to benefit from in the years ahead.

“When I was given the news of my diagnosis, I thought it was a death sentence. While I don’t fully know what the future holds, I am thankful beyond words for the benefit I have had and I cherish every day I can spend time with my family.”

Irwin Mitchell helped Mr Conway win his case against his previous employers who have now agreed to fund any private treatment that is recommended for him. Satpal Singh, associate solicitor at Irwin Mitchell said: “A mesothelioma diagnosis can come as a terrible shock and we do all we can to help clients like Mick, not just with the legal process, but with advice on appropriate support and information options for treatment.

“I informed Mick about a clinical trial being undertaken by Professor Fennell and Mick then promptly met with Professor Fennell and was accepted on to the CheckMate-743 trial. It is fantastic to see Mick doing so very well, given the initial poor prognosis.

“The availability of the combination treatment (Ipi/Nivo) is exciting news and hopefully the start of treatments that can offer longer life and improved quality of life to many more patients like Mick living with this asbestos-related cancer.”