When Graham Caveney was diagnosed with stage-four oesophageal cancer in 2022, doctors gave him just over a year to live.
The late prognosis came after months suffering with a burning sensation in his throat, and repeated trips to A&E, but it was always explained away as being ulcers or acid reflux – where stomach acid rises into the oesophagus, the pipe that connects the throat to the digestive system.
By the time he was told he had oesophageal cancer it was too late. The disease had spread to his liver and lymph nodes.
‘I was told that I could have only a year to live, which was devastating,’ says the 61-year-old.
‘I had standard treatment, which worked for a while, but towards the end of 2024 I got ill and was rushed to hospital, where they told me that the treatment had stopped working and that I was quickly running out of options.’
Doctors suggested he should look at palliative care, but he was also offered a lifeline – an early stage trial for an innovative combination of cancer drugs.
After just months on the trial, the size of his tumour had halved and his condition has now stabilised.
‘I have been able to live the last few years pain-free,’ says the author from Nottingham. ‘It has given me a new lease of life – I feel like I did before the diagnosis; I have been able to go on long walks, play table tennis and just be able to eat normal meals again, as with the cancer I couldn’t swallow anything.’
Experts hope the personalised treatment approach that has extended Graham’s life may be able to help millions.
Rather than providing standardised care for each cancer type, a pioneering team at The Christie hospital in Manchester are devising a revolutionary new approach with treatment tailored to the specific genes causing the tumours.
Graham suffered for months with a burning sensation in his throat but, despite repeated trips to A&E, it was always explained away as being ulcers or acid reflux
Graham, left, at The Christie hospital in Manchester, where a pioneering team are devising a revolutionary new approach with treatment tailored to the specific genes causing the tumours
Graham is optimistic. ‘When I was younger, the word cancer was said in hushed tones,’ he said. ‘But now, thanks to advances in treatment, more and more people like me are living well with and beyond cancer.’
‘We are moving towards a personalised approach to cancer care, and realising that everyone’s tumours are unique,’ says Dr Jamie Weaver, Graham’s consultant and one of the principal investigators of the trial. ‘What is emerging is that the one-size-fits-all approach of chemotherapy can only get you so far. What is exciting now is that we are essentially able to fingerprint someone’s tumour, thinking less about the part of the body it originates in and instead about the genetic mutations that are causing it.’
The trial Graham joined was testing a class of drug known as PARP inhibitors alongside trastuzumab deruxtecan, also known by the brand name Enhurtu. PARP is a protein found in cells that helps repair damage. PARP inhibitors block this repair process – particularly in cancer cells – causing them to die. The early-stage trial, called Petra, run alongside pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, is testing a novel PARP drug called AZD5305, which selectively targets the protein in the cancer cells.
Unlike other trials, which are designed for a disease group, such as breast, prostate or lung, the phase 2 Petra trial is testing drugs that target specific DNA changes.
In Graham’s case, he was producing too many of the HER2 gene, which is common in breast cancer and oesophageal cancer.
Dr Weaver says that this fault is also present in other tumours, but it is not currently tested for.
The trial has also shown that the same drug combination has successfully treated breast cancer.
Mother-of-one Elaine Sleigh, 42, was diagnosed with an ultra-aggressive form of breast cancer in 2022, which returned three times and spread to her lymph nodes.
But after less than a year on the trial, her tumours had shrunk by 65 per cent. She said: ‘I’ve now had six cycles [of treatment], and with each one I get stronger and closer to my normal self.’
The research team behind the trials say the way they are treating cancer could become the norm.
‘What is important going forward, though, is the approach itself,’ says Dr Weaver.
‘At The Christie we are now running a number of trials across a dozen different tumour types, and different drug combinations, focusing on the genes causing the growth. The hope is this becomes the standard approach to care over the next decade – it is really exciting.’
Experts say that another benefit of the approach is that it often has fewer side-effects for patients and allows them to continue their daily lives.
A year on from the trial, however, Graham has had to withdraw, due to difficulty breathing – a rare complication of the new drug. But his medical team are positive about the impact the trial has made.
‘We have seen a significant reduction in Graham’s tumour, his condition has stabilised and we may now be able to offer further treatment if the tumour starts to grow again,’ says Dr Weaver.
Graham is optimistic too. ‘When I was younger, the word cancer was said in hushed tones,’ he said.
‘But now, thanks to advances in treatment, more and more people like me are living well with and beyond cancer.’
