Cancer patient survives years after trial of tailored treatment

Ken Theobold, a 76-year-old from the UK, has lived for eight years after receiving a diagnosis of high-risk myeloma, a type of blood cancer, and participating in a clinical trial.

In 2018, doctors initially estimated he had only two years to live. He enrolled in a trial at The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) in London, which used a personalised combination of medicines tailored to the molecular characteristics of his cancer.

The trial involved 107 patients with newly diagnosed high-risk multiple myeloma and combined five existing drugs, daratumumab, cyclophosphamide, bortezomib, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone, with a stem cell transplant. Researchers at the ICR, the University of Leeds, and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust adjusted treatment intensity based on how well the disease responded. The trial used a test called MMProfiler SKY92 to identify high-risk patients based on their gene expression, something not routinely available in the UK’s National Health Service.

The study revealed that personalised treatment extended survival and kept the disease under control for a greater period than standard therapy. Long-term data showed that approximately 70 percent of trial participants were still alive after six years, compared to around 40 percent receiving conventional treatment. Fifty-four percent of those on the trial remained free of disease progression after six years, while only 18 percent of patients receiving usual care achieved the same.

The ICR is now seeking approval from health regulators to make the MMProfiler SKY92 test more widely available, hoping to identify and treat high-risk patients earlier.