Clinical trial patient says ‘thank you’
A cancer patient who is currently benefiting a novel clinical trial has recently completed a 30 mile bike ride, raising over £600 to support more trials into Immunology and Immunotherapy approaches against the disease.
Anne Parnell, a 51 year old from Petersfield, Hampshire, was diagnosed with bowel cancer in July 2014. After enduring six months of chemotherapy with no response, Anne was put on a trial that, after just eight weeks, has already shown significant response results.
She said: “I have been lucky enough to be put on a trial for Braf, a rare form of bowel cancer. I am aware that the drugs are very expensive so I would like to do whatever I can to raise awareness of the immunology and immunotherapy treatments and help further research in this area.”
Anne took part in a 30 mile bike ride, the ‘Petersfield Up’s and Down’s’, in July. She said: “As the name suggests, the ride was very hilly! I opted for the 30 mile challenge but many times wish I had chosen the alternative 20 mile option.
“I raised £355 which is just the start of my fundraising.”
Immunotherapy works by using the body’s own immune system to fight cancer. Immune cells can either be ‘engineered’ to attack cancer cells better, or antibodies can be used to block the ability of tumour cells to turn off immune cells, unleashing powerful immune responses against the tumour. Research into this ground-breaking area is being funded by QEHB Charity, under the Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Centre (CIIC) fund, and is undertaken by a team of scientists from the University of Birmingham and cancer doctors at the QE.
Ben Willcox, Professor of Molecular Immunology at the School of Cancer Sciences and director of the CIIC grouping at the QE, said: “We are delighted with Anne’s progress so far and are pleased she has decided to raise money for QEHB Charity’s CIIC fund. We rely entirely on donations to be able to continue to fund this vital research, which is leading to ground-breaking discoveries into the way we treat cancer.”
To sponsor Anne please donate to her Just Giving page. To donate to CIIC and support clinical trials, or for more information, please click here.
