Robert Glynn was diagnosed in 2020 with bile duct cancer that had already spread widely. Faced with the choice of undergoing an experimental treatment at Manchester’s Christie’s Hospital, he didn’t think twice. And now he is free from the disease.
It had been granted to him one year of life after being diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer. But now Robert GlynnThe 51-year-old welder from Worsley in Greater Manchester has managed to beat the disease thanks to an experimental therapy conducted at Christie’s hospital in Manchester.
Glynn had been diagnosed with tumor after a gallbladder infection, one day before his 49th birthday in June 2020, after days of experiencing severe pain in his shoulder, making it impossible to even sleep.
Also known as cancer of the biliary tractthis aggressive condition causes the cells lining the bile ducts to multiply and grow more than they should. The bile ducts are small tubes that connect the liver, gallbladder and small intestine. They release bile into the intestines after meals, helping to digest fat.
By the time of diagnosis, the cancer had spread to his adrenal gland and liver, with tumors too large to operate on. The doctors hypothesized for him no more than 12 months to live. Arrived atChristie hospital in Manchester he was offered the opportunity to participate in the clinical trial of a immunotherapy drug already approved for use in lung, kidney and esophageal cancer. Immunotherapy works by helping the immune system recognize and attack cancer cells.
As of April 2022, the tumor mass which had expanded to his adrenal gland it had shrunk from 7 to 4.1 cm, while that in the liver had gone from 12 to 2.6 cm, allowing him to undergo surgery. “As soon as I had the chance to take part in the experiment, I jumped at it,” he said. “Knowing that I am completely healed was an emotion that overwhelmed me. Without that experiment I would not be here today,” stressed the 51-year-old.
The drug cannot be named due to the experimental nature of the study.
