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Michael and Jasma -The Trial Therapy

Cancer survivor talks to the doctor who treated her- by placing her on an immunotherapy trial.

In 2015 Jasma knew something wasn’t right with her health but blamed it on the menopause. Finally a friend who was a GP insisted she go to hospital – a series of what she sees as lucky chances means she was diagnosed with an extremely rare cancer called placental site trophoblastic tumour and rushed to Charing Cross Hospital. The cancer had already spread to her liver, lungs and brain - another two weeks and she would have died. The initial chemotherapy treatment made Jasma more weak without killing the cancer and her doctor, Professor Seckl, wanted to try a new immunotherapy drug that had worked in another patient – but there was no funding. Through his hard work, he persuaded Jasma’s private healthcare provider to pay for her to take part in a pilot study. Treatment began that December and by September 2016 she was declared clear. She will be checked by the hospital for the rest of her life as part of the study. Due to this trial, Professor Seckl has successfully argued for the NHS to pay for treatment for all future cases. At the time of recording seven more women are in remission. In this extract, they discuss Jasma’s attitude to being in hospital.

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4 minutes

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