The Christie cancer hospital in Withington, Manchester (Image: MEN MEDIA)
A grandfather has told the Daily Express of his joy as one of the first patients in the world’s biggest-ever phase-three lung cancer trial – using new targeted radiotherapy to vitally extend life.
‘TOURIST’ is the first major UK trial in 20 years aiming to recruit 1,000 patients to see how radiotherapy can best blast advanced, late-stage metastatic lung cancer – potentially changing global practice forever.
It’s using a technique called ‘VMAT’ (volumetric modulated arc therapy), multiple beams of varying strengths, it aims to target aggressive cancers, shortening the treatment time.
A linear accelerator (LINAC) delivers high-energy beams while rotating around the patient to ‘zap’ the tumours – sparing healthy tissue – in a system previously only offered to early-diagnosed cases.
Now one of the first patients starting TOURIST – David Mather, 81, of Hale, Greater Manchester – has told us of his hopes it will extent his life and countless others enabling priceless more time with his family.
He told us: “When I was offered the opportunity to participate in the trial, I was very happy to do so.
“If having radiotherapy improves my prognosis and quality of life, and reduces the symptoms, then that will be fantastic.
“I also hope that by participating in this trial I play a part in helping others in the future.”
David and Iwona Mather at The Christie (Image: The Christie)
David Mather with grandchildren (Image: The Christie)
The grandfather-of-six, married to Iwona for 28 years, was diagnosed with stage-IV Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) – NSCLC is the most common type of lung cancer – in October 2024 after going to his GP wheezing and feeling tired.
He said: “I was getting tired easily and a bit worried so went to see my doctor. They did an X-ray and then CT Scan and delivered the news I had stage-IV lung cancer.”
He was referred to The Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester and began a course of immunotherapy, which is a type of drug that uses the body’s own immune system to fight the cancer.
But as the disease was at an advanced stage and had spread to his bones, he was also eligible for TOURIST which now aims to recruit from its current handful to 1,000 patients.
The retired company director has diabetes but as TOURIST is an inclusive trial for anyone with late-stage lung cancer he was welcomed onboard.
He added: “I had never had cancer before in my life. I had smoked but stopped over a decade ago. I’ve been very healthy all my life, so I consider myself lucky to have got to my age without anything serious.”
This study is being sponsored by The Christie and managed by Southampton Clinical Trials Unit.
This research is made possible thanks to a £3.4 million grant from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).
David Mather at The Christie hospital in Manchester (Image: The Christie)
With 1.2 million deaths worldwide from this form of cancer every year, the outcome of the study could be a game changer in the fight against the cruel condition.
Dr David Woolf, consultant oncologist at The Christie and joint chief investigator for TOURIST, explained that the trial will work alongside patients’ other treatments like chemo or immunotherapy.
He added: “By using this newer technology we hope we can change the face of lung cancer treatment.
“We have identified an unmet need, and the aim is to use the evidence we gather from the study to change clinical practice worldwide.
“Potentially this could help up to a million people a year across the globe, which is tremendously exciting.”
Professor Matthew Hatton, Honorary Professor of Clinical Oncology at The University of Sheffield and also joint chief investigator for TOURIST – said: “This is a very inclusive trial and most people with stage IV NSCLC lung cancer are eligible.
“David has recently turned 81 years old, so you could think his age might exclude him from taking part in research, but certainly not in this case.
“We believe this treatment could be of additional benefit to all late-stage lung cancer patients, who often have a poor prognosis and typically about a year to live.
“The focus of the study is to extend and improve the quality of life of patients increasing the number of longer-term lung cancer survivors.”
David Mather having clinical trial radiotherapy. (Image: The Christie)
NSCLC accounts for 85-90 per cent of all lung cancer cases worldwide with 70 per cent of patients diagnosed at stage 4 of the disease and 1.2m deaths globally each year.
Nicky Downs, Senior Trial Manager for TOURIST at the Southampton Clinical Trials Unit, said: “It’s fantastic to see the first patients being recruited.
“Clinical trials rely on people, like David, volunteering to be part of research and we are so grateful to him and everyone who signs up to the trial.
“Their participation will help us create the evidence which could lead to improved quality of life, and potentially better treatments, for more lung cancer patients in the future.”
Any patient with stage IV NSCLC who would be interested in taking part in the TOURIST trial should discuss it with their local oncologist.
* More information about taking part in clinical trials can be found here – https://www.christie.nhs.uk/research-and-innovation/studies-and-trials/take-part-in-studies-and-trials
EXCLUSIVE COMMENT – Dr David Woolf, consultant oncologist at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust
Dr David Woolf, consultant oncologist at The Christie (Image: The Christie)
“We’re very excited to have the TOURIST clinical trial up and running. It’s the culmination of 10 years’ research to reach this point, working alongside my colleague Professor Matthew Hatton.
“What’s quite unusual about this particular study is that it’s designed to be very inclusive, and we can recruit almost any patient newly diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer.
“Age and any other underlying health issues are not a barrier to participation – and what we are trying to do is prove a hypothesis.
“By tapping into new technology, we believe delivering radiotherapy to patients with advanced lung cancer can extend and improve their quality of life.
“We just need to present enough evidence for this to hopefully become a standard treatment in the future.
“In order to do this, we need to recruit a large cohort of people to the trial. Nearly one thousand participants is a huge and ambitious number, and potentially a recruitment challenge.
“This is one of the reasons why it’s not been done before anywhere in the world.
“What helps is that we are able to include all Stage IV lung cancer patients – those currently on treatment, as well as those on end-of-life care, who sadly can no longer be treated due to their frailty.
“With 1.2m deaths worldwide from this form of the disease every year, the outcome of the study could be a game-changer in the fight against lung cancer, the biggest cause of cancer death in the UK.
“We are very grateful to The Christie for believing in us and sponsoring the study, and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) for their funding, without which none of this would be possible.”
WHAT CAUSES LUNG CANCER?
Lung cancer is one of the most common and serious types of cancer with over 48,000 new cases in the UK – 12.4 per cent of all new cancer cases on the NHS.
Lung cancer is also the biggest cancer killer in the UK, accounting for 21 per cent of cancer deaths annually.
There are often no signs or symptoms in early stages but most sufferers develop symptoms including a persistent cough; coughing up blood; breathlessness; unexplained tiredness and weight loss and a pain when breathing or coughing.
About 35,000 people die from lung cancer in the UK each year and about one in 13 UK females and one in 14 males will be diagnosed with lung cancer in their lifetime.
It typically affects older people and rare to see in patients younger than 40. More than 4 out of 10 people diagnosed with lung cancer in the UK are aged 75 and older.
Cancer that begins in the lungs is called primary lung cancer. Cancer that spreads to the lungs from another place in the body is known as secondary lung cancer.
Metastatic lung cancer, or advanced, means it has spread from where it first started across the lungs and patients usually have around a year to live – depending on treatment.
Smoking is the leading cause or primary lung cancer, responsible for about 72 per cent of cases, but other causes include exposure to certain gases and chemicals, and passive smoking.
Approximately half of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer lung cancer patients (44 per cent) in the UK present with incurable stage IV disease, meaning treatment focuses on controlling symptoms and extending life, rather than curing.
The UK has some of the worst survival rates for lung cancer in Europe. About 2 in 5 sufferers live for at least one year after they’re diagnosed, and about 1 in 10 people live at least 10 years.