Saved by a trial drug... dad with rugby ball-size cancer tumour
A FATHER of three with a tumour the size a rugby ball feared he had a short time to live – but was saved by joining a revolutionary drugs trial.
Dean Colgan, 60, cashed in one of his pensions and bought a BMW after being told he had renal cell carcinoma which had spread to his lungs, lymph nodes and pancreas.
But five years on, Dean is fighting fit and his cancer is too small to measure on scans. It is now hoped the new drug combination by Covid vaccine maker Pfizer will help to save thousands of lives every year.
Dean said: “It was a miracle for me and my wife Susan, I was told I would be dead in less than five years but I’m still here.”
The former engineering machinist and security guard went for a check-up after spotting blood in his urine.
He was referred for an ultrasound check at hospital which revealed the tumour and that the cancer had spread.
Dean, from Leeds said: “I was devastated by the news.
“The consultant said I would be lucky to still be alive six months later at Christmas if I didn’t have an urgent operation to remove the main tumour on the kidney.
“To be honest, I had given up and didn’t want to come round from the operation to face what I thought would be inevitable death.
“When I came round they said I might get a few extra years because it hadn’t been quite as aggressive as they thought. I cashed in one of my pensions to buy a BMW X5, a couple of decent TVs and some furniture.”
The grandfather of 10 was told that Manchester’s acclaimed cancer centre The Christie would be the best place for further treatment. He was referred to their research facility in January 2016 where the Javelin Renal 100 trial was about to be launched.
It was the first time that a combination of the immunotherapy drug avelumab and cancer growth blocker tablets known as tyrosine kinase inhibitors had been used for kidney cancers.
Dean said: “I owe my life to The Christie and Pfizer. I’m fitter than ever.”
Wife Susan, 69, added: “I thought I’d lost him I can’t believe we have a future to now look forward to. If we were lucky enough to win the lottery I’d donate most of it to them.”
Oncology consultant Dr Tom Waddell, said: “Not all patients will get as good a response to treatment.”