Lung cancer: ‘I would not be alive today without clinical trials’

“I was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer in May 2016,” says Séamus Cotter, a veteran of a cancer clinical trial which he says saved his life.

Mr Cotter, an aviation industry manager based in Shannon, Co Clare, was 46, married with young children, the oldest of whom was 14-years-old, when his life expectancy shrank to 18 months.

“I was concerned about myself, I was concerned about how would my family manage, could we fight it.

“I had to think how do I tell my children, how do I treat them, if the worst is to happen. Would they be alright financially as a single-parent family?”

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A clinical trial offered a lifeline and Mr Cotter said he was “lucky enough to be eligible”.

There was no chemotherapy, no operation but by April 2017, after the regular “infusion of a combination of drugs”, tests showed he was clear of cancer and he has remained clear since.

“I would not be alive today if it wasn’t for cancer clinical trials,” he says.

Telling his story to mark International Clinical Trials Day, Mr Cotter said he is hoping his experience will encourage others to become involved in trials.

There are now 209 clinical trials open to new patients in Ireland, of which 78 are cancer clinical trials.

Mr Cotter now sits on now sits on the Cancer Trials Ireland Patient Consultation Committee.

International Clinical Trials Day highlights the availability of the trials themselves but also celebrates the researchers, healthcare workers and scientists who make new approaches possible.

Coronavirus

Eibhlín Mulroe, chief executive of Cancer Trials Ireland, said cancer treatment and screening had been hit by Covid-19 in recent months. Opposition parties have warned the temporary suspension of screening could have long-term consequences for the diagnosis and treatment of cancers.

No mammograms were carried out by BreastCheck in April and there was a 96 per cent reduction in samples sent to CervicalCheck labs for analysis, following a decision to pause both cancer screening programmes due to Covid-19.

However, Ms Mulroe said the cancer research sector was “as committed and proactive as ever, in spite of the crisis”.

She said she wanted to “recognise and applaud our funders - including the Health Research Board, the Irish Cancer Society - for their unwavering commitment to cancer research during the pandemic. It is a strong indicator of just how important clinical and cancer trials are for patients in Ireland.”

There are even studies investigating the impact of Covid-19 on people with cancer, she said.

According to Professor Bryan Hennessy clinical lead with Cancer Trials Ireland, access to trials can be the best treatment option when the standard treatments are not working.

“It is important that we are able to offer these options at all times despite any societal turbulence. It is critical that we are able to create an infrastructure for clinical trials that can withstand a public health emergency or any other situation that puts up additional barriers to patient participation in trials.”