A woman who has had tonsil cancer twice is celebrating after seeing her tumor shrink in half.
Jeanette Joyce, 64, from Northwich, Cheshire, was diagnosed with cancer of the right tonsil and soft palate (roof of the mouth) during the outbreak in May 2021.
She endured 33 doses of radiotherapy and two courses of chemotherapy, and everything finally went well in July.
But devastatingly, just three days after the 12-month check-up to make sure everything was OK, I was diagnosed with a second, completely unrelated tumor on the left tonsil.
Ms Joyce’s first symptoms of cancer were a persistent runny nose and sore throat.
He told the PA news agency: “I thought I had hay fever but it was during lockdown and I couldn’t get an appointment with the doctors.
“When I went to the doctor, he thought it was rhinitis and prescribed some nasal sprays.
“I had two of these, but when it didn’t get better, they sent me to my local hospital.
“I had a biopsy there and it came back as cancer on my right tonsil. “It was a shock, I was completely stunned.”
Mrs Joyce, who is married to Dave, 67, underwent chemotherapy and radiotherapy and was delighted to ring the bell to signal the end of treatment.
But a doctor at the Christie NHS Foundation Trust cancer hospital in Manchester noticed thickening on one side of his throat during a 12-month check.
He wrote a report for the local hospital where he had a check-up and the staff performed a biopsy.
Ms Joyce was then given the terrible news that the cancer was now in the other tonsil and could not be treated.
The disease was also found in three other locations on her palate and Ms Joyce was told palliative (end of life) care was the only option.
He said: “I was so shocked, stunned and in disbelief. When I was told they couldn’t do more for me, it felt like I was having an out-of-body experience.
“I felt like I was looking into my own coffin. “I even started planning music for my funeral.”
However, Ms. Joyce, unwilling to accept her fate, insisted that the doctors warn her during World War II. She asked to be referred to Christie, who said she was suitable for a phase one clinical trial.
He agreed to take part in the trial at the National Health and Care Research Institute Manchester Clinical Research Facility at Christie and started his first treatment on 7 December 2022.
This treatment involves giving an intravenous immunotherapy drug every six weeks and a protein injection into the leg every three weeks.
Immunotherapy is a type of treatment that helps the immune system recognize and kill cancer. Clinical trial is testing this new immunotherapy combination for head and neck cancers.
Ms Joyce is delighted that the scans showed the tumor had shrunk to half its size within eight months.
He said: “Everything is going in the right direction at the moment.
“I was completely devastated when I was told it was incurable. But I’ve always been incredibly positive and this trial means the tumor has shrunk.”
Mrs Joyce enjoys spending time with her husband every day and goes for daily walks with her neighbor who has dementia.
“My husband and I love cooking and things like that,” she added. “We love reading too.”
On whether he would recommend trying new treatment combinations, he said: “The only thing left for me was a clinical trial, so I thought why not try it? I had nothing to lose.”
“This has been a 100% positive experience for me. I have experienced no side effects and can live life to the fullest. I can even eat anything I like, and that includes tucking into a nice, juicy steak.
“I would definitely encourage everyone to get involved if they are offered the chance to take part in research. “I haven’t looked back since I started the trial.”
Dr Robert Metcalf, consultant oncologist at Christie, said: “Jeanette is doing very well in this clinical trial and is experiencing no side effects, which is great for her.
“We saw his tumor shrink to half its size in eight months. We’re on the right track, so something is working, so we’ll stick with this treatment and see where we get to.”
He continued: “This trial showed some promising results, with half of the patients responding well.
“It’s early days, but we hope that this drug combination may become a standard treatment for some patients with head and neck cancer in the future.
“We are certainly seeing immunotherapy drugs being used more routinely for head and neck cancers, which is good news for patients because they are better tolerated and less likely to cause long-term side effects.”
In total, 154 patients with a form of head and neck cancer (squamous cell carcinoma) that has returned or spread to other parts of the body are being included in the clinical trial.
Head and neck cancer is a relatively rare type of cancer, with only 12,400 new cases diagnosed each year in the UK.