‘I feel privileged to be involved in such an important trial’

A MUSIC teacher with a lump on his head that turned out to be potentially deadly melanoma is taking part in a groundbreaking clinical trial.

Steve Young was shocked to discover he had cancer after being misdiagnosed by a GP and dermatologists.

He is now part of a trial led by University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, involving a Moderna mRNA anti-cancer jab combined with MSD’s immunotherapy drug Keytruda.

It offers patients hope of a cure and is custom-built for each person.

Dangerous

Steve, 52, who received a jab at UCLH a few weeks ago, said: “I had a bump on my head and I think I had it for possibly 10 years.

“One of my best friends is a retired GP and he did look at it a couple of times over the years and said, ‘it’s nothing to worry about’.”

After not seeing his pal during lockdown, Steve said he became “more aware” of the bump in 2022. He said: “I asked my friend to look at it again, and he said, ‘I’m not happy with that, you need to get it checked’.”

At a GP visit, he was once again told it was nothing to worry about, but was referred to a dermatologist for 10 months’ time. Steve was willing to wait, but a girlfriend urged him to get it checked sooner.

At a private mole checking clinic, staff said at best it was a basal cell carcinoma skin cancer, at worst, melanoma.

He said: “They told me I needed to call my GP that day. It was a massive shock.

“I rang my GP at 9am and I didn’t actually hear back until 6pm, so I spent the whole day in a complete state of panic.

“I had this feeling in my stomach that something big had changed in my life.”

After a fast-track referral for suspected cancer, Steve, of Stevenage, saw an NHS dermatologist. Again, he was told it was nothing to worry about. Steve added: “I came away from that operation with seven stitches in my head, thinking it was all over.”

Two weeks later, he was called back in. He said: “They told me that it was a 4.1mm nodular melanoma, which had been misdiagnosed now by five people. Any melanoma over 0.8mm they consider dangerous.”

He added: “As soon as they mentioned this mRNA technology that was being used, I was like, ‘it sounds fascinating’. I feel privileged to be involved in a such an important trial.”