Emmerdale star: Chinese genes could save me in cancer battle
THREE months after being diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, former Emmerdale star Leah Bracknell has been given fresh hope thanks to a pioneering treatment based on her Chinese ancestry.
The 52-year- old said research indicated her Chinese mother’s genes made her compatible with an experimental drug which targets the cancerous cells directly.
In an emotional post on her fundraising website last night, Miss Bracknell thanked fans for helping her raise £62,000 which has allowed her to research alternative therapies.
British doctors had told her the cancer was stage four and little could be done. Her plan then was to seek treatment at a clinic in Germany. But further research led her towards targeted therapy as an alternative to palliative chemotherapy.
Writing on her blog, Miss Bracknell, who played Zoe Tate on the ITV soap for 16 years, said: ‘I went for a second and third opinion for treatment pathways and options. I am SO glad we did, and it has led to some really positive and unexpected news.
‘I had originally been told the only option was six rounds of palliative chemotherapy.
‘We asked about targeted therapy and were told compatibility rates are low – less than 10 per cent – and usually it is female, non-smokers who are Asian. But thanks to my extremely Chinese mother, I hoped this could give me a lifeline.
‘I recently received the news we had been praying for: The biopsy revealed a match and I was able to start on targeted biological therapy here in the UK on the NHS.
‘You take it daily as a tablet; it works by targeting the cancer cells directly, so the immune system is less compromised.
‘The drug isn’t a cure – in most people it eventually stops working as the cancer finds a way around the targeted treatment.
‘But hopefully this may give us time to prepare for the next stage of the treatment abroad to get the cancer into long-term remission.’
To donate to the actress’s Go Fund Me page, visit https://www. gofundme.com/2r2kwanw
‘Positive and unexpected’