Five years more life for King's Mill cancer trial man

Prostate cancer patient Roger Wyles has defied a shocking prognosis after being offered clinical trial.

Mr Wyles, 70 was given a prognosis of 6-9 months after being diagnosed with the disease.

Roger was given the opportunity to enter a clinical trial by the Research and Innovation Department at King’s Mill Hospital. So far the trial has extended his life by more than five years.

He said: “After tests were done to my prostate I was informed that I had prostate cancer.

“The cancer was also diagnosed as being metastatic, which means that it had spread to my bones and possibly my internal organs.

“I was given a frightening prognosis of 3-18 months with the very best possibility of 6-9 months. It came as quite a shock, my wife and I were speechless.

Roger was referred to oncologist Dr Saunders at King’s Mill to discuss starting on the S.T.A.M.P.E.D.E* trial which aims to see if improvements can be made in prostate cancer management.

He added: “During the trial, I was given regular check-ups and scans to see if the treatment and therapy was working. After a year on the trial, my PSA count kept coming down and down and it’s been low ever since. A nuclear scan revealed that the cancer in my bones had also disappeared. Things just got better and better throughout the trial. And here I am now, five and half years into the trial after a prognosis of 3-18 months.”

Head of Research and Innovation, Alison Steel said: “Clinical trials are so important for the future of medicine; we have patients willing to give their time and energy to help future patients. Without research and innovation, healthcare would not move forward and our research staff and patients are a credit to the NHS.”A clinical trials day at King’s Mill Hospital on Thursday, May 17. For more information on the STAMPEDE trial visit: http://www.stampedetrial.org/