Hope after new drug stops cancer growth
But the breast cancer was only the start. In 2017, he fell off his bike and broke his hip. Blood tests revealed raised PSA (prostate-specific antigens) – an indication of prostate cancer.
Dave had seen off skin cancer in the 1990s but that reappeared in 2017, only more serious.
It required urgent surgery to remove an aggressive Squamous Cell Cancer (SCC) and bits of the surface of his skull.
In January last year the SCC returned in his neck lymph nodes and his PSA levels rose.
He said: “Everything happened at once.As the neck cancer was more serious I was put on hormone treatment for the prostate cancer. I had a scan which showed something amiss in my colon.”
Dave had surgery to remove the lymph nodes in his neck followed by a colonoscopy which found a bowel growth.
So he had keyhole surgery to remove part of his colon.
He then faced 30 radiotherapy treatments to target any cancer cells missed by the neck surgery and 20 radiotherapy sessions throughout February and March this year for the prostate cancer.
A DRUG that targets a cancer cell’s ability to repair its DNA has shown promise in early trials, stopping tumour growth in half of patients.
Berzosertib belongs to a new class of drugs known as ATR inhibitors, which stop cancer cells fixing damaged DNA.
The drug targets a protein which cancer cells need to maintain their dogged growth and division.
In a phase one study of 40 patients with advanced disease it stopped growth in half.
The drug was particularly effective when combined with chemotherapy. Some 15 of 21 patients given both treatments saw their disease stabilise.
One woman with advanced ovarian cancer saw her tumours shrink after she received the combination treatment.
Another patient with advanced bowel disease, who received berzosertib on its own, saw his tumours
Dave, from Blandford, Dorset, is thankful the cancers were spotted in time.
He said: “I have spent my life in telecommunications so am certain I have had very high exposure to radio frequencies which may be the reason I have been susceptible to cancers.
“I took early retirement and try to enjoy every second – being a father and grandfather and travelling the world. I am grateful to still be here.” disappear and remained for more than two years.
Researchers at the Institute of Cancer Research and the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust said the findings could pave the way for new targeted treatments.
Professor Johann de Bono, head of drug development at the ICR and the Royal Marsden, said: “We and others cancer-free are planning further clinical trials of berzosertib and other drugs blocking the ATR protein.
“This new class of ATR inhibiting drugs could boost the effect of treatments like chemotherapy that target cancer DNA, expand our treatment options and overcome resistance to other targeted treatments.”
Damage to the DNA in cells is the root cause of cancer – but it is also a weakness in tumours. Cancer cells can be killed by further damage to their DNA or by attacking their ability to fix broken strands.
ATR inhibitors block the function of the ATR protein, which usually plays a key role in the repair process.
The findings were published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.