- 9 hours ago
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:00And I just don't give up.
00:05I'm a detective in the cancer world.
00:09Trying to outfox cancer.
00:14It's giving us clues if we know where to look.
00:21We're trying to find tiny, tiny amounts of cancer DNA in the bloodstream,
00:28which is like finding a single grain of sand that matters amongst all the other grains of sand.
00:39The answers are there. We just have to find them. And that's my mission.
00:50For generations, a cancer diagnosis left almost no hope.
00:55It's a terrifying disease that has stalked us for millennia.
01:00I didn't expect I had cancer because all the tests were coming back negative.
01:04I don't think my body can take any more.
01:07Science has fought hard against it. And now the tide is finally turning.
01:12One of our key goals is to transform this idea of cancer as a death sentence.
01:17A group of trailblazing scientists are making new breakthroughs.
01:24We now need to take those discoveries and make them work for patients.
01:29This is the world's first lung cancer prevention vaccine.
01:34Discovering cures and finding ways to stop cancer before it even starts.
01:38The tumor seems to be shrinking.
01:41Your scan shows no active disease.
01:45Creating a future where cancer doesn't win.
01:49We're getting very close to defeating cancer once and for all.
01:53What's not curable today could be curable tomorrow.
01:56Não, não.
01:58Não, não, não.
01:59Silence!
02:21I love working.
02:30I've worked since I was 15 years old.
02:34But at school, I didn't want to be a mechanic.
02:37I wanted to be a jockey.
02:40But when you go and work experience at school,
02:43you couldn't find me a stable.
02:44So I went in to be a mechanic and I loved it.
02:49I always loved getting my hands dirty as a kid.
02:51My mum didn't like it, but I had to go home dirty.
02:55I just love cars.
02:57But a doctor told me I should have a few months off.
03:02I was off four days.
03:03I couldn't handle it because this is normal for me.
03:07And if I'm normal, I haven't got cancer.
03:11And that's the thing.
03:12Four years ago, 58-year-old Lee experienced pain in his back after playing golf,
03:23but soon discovered it was more than a sports injury.
03:26So I had two lumps in my back and my ribcage,
03:31but I had pain around my kidney area.
03:34I couldn't sleep at night.
03:35I couldn't walk.
03:36I couldn't move because of the pain.
03:39A doctor sent me for an MRI scan,
03:42and they scanned the tumour.
03:45It was 10 centimetres round.
03:47So we had a biopsy,
03:51and they come back and said,
03:53it's cancer.
03:55But it's a weird, it's a strange cancer
03:57because it's called something called cancer unknown primary.
04:02Never heard of it.
04:04And I thought, well,
04:05what do you mean cancer unknown primary?
04:07Cancer's cancer.
04:08We can't find the primary source.
04:10So I've got a tumour in my back,
04:14which I know about.
04:15But if you can't find out where it's originating,
04:17how do you kill it?
04:18You can't.
04:19So until it pops its head out,
04:21it's like playing hide-and-seek.
04:23So hopefully one day it'll pop its head out,
04:26and then we'll kill it.
04:28Hopefully.
04:29You still don't know?
04:31No-one knows.
04:33No, no-one knows.
04:35I'm a mystery.
04:40In Manchester,
04:43Lee has joined a pioneering new project
04:46that seeks to solve his mysterious case
04:48by analysing the blood
04:50to unlock cancer's secrets.
04:55Hiya.
04:56Checked it?
04:57Started, thank you.
05:02Leading the initiative
05:03is Professor Caroline Dive.
05:06I've been thinking about
05:07how we fight cancer
05:09ever since I was 25 years old.
05:13Because cancer has always been
05:15one of the largest medical challenges
05:17for the human race.
05:20Cancer is a disease of mutations.
05:22And we all carry some gene mutations,
05:25but for the most part,
05:26for those of us who don't go on to develop cancer,
05:29we live with them.
05:31Cancer is a rogue ball of cells
05:33growing somewhere in a body,
05:36and it's taking over those normal body processes.
05:40And they have all these really lethal traits.
05:43They move about around the body
05:45when they shouldn't.
05:47They don't die when they should.
05:50And that mutation that sat there
05:52suddenly now becomes very dangerous indeed.
05:55I think about it as a very malevolent alien.
06:00An alien within.
06:03And really hard to beat.
06:10At the Cancer Research UK National Biomarker Centre,
06:14Caroline is looking at cancer
06:15much closer than ever before
06:17by investigating the fluid
06:19that links everything, blood.
06:22Hi, guys.
06:23How's your day going?
06:28Oh, hi, Chris.
06:29Yeah, can we have a look at the organoids?
06:32I know the data sounded really exciting,
06:34so I'd quite like just to have a look.
06:35Yes.
06:36Right.
06:36We're looking at the molecular level.
06:43With the new technologies we have at our fingertips,
06:46we can detect vanishingly small amounts
06:49of cancer cell DNA in a tube of blood.
06:56The answers are there in the blood.
06:59We just have to find them.
07:01And to sort of give you an idea
07:07of the scale of the challenge,
07:08when we think about, you know,
07:09thousands of cells can fit on the head of a pin,
07:13and we're looking for clues
07:15which tell us how a cancer cell is behaving now
07:19and how that cancer cell may behave in the future.
07:26Only by knowing those details
07:27can we really solve the mysteries of cancer.
07:31We are discovering what makes cancer tick.
07:35My mission is to take those discoveries
07:38and translate them into useful, impactful tests.
07:44Because if we can catch cancers in the bloodstream,
07:48we should be able to certainly give patients
07:51a much longer lifespan, but in some cases, cure.
07:54Caroline and her team work closely
08:02with one of Europe's leading cancer centres,
08:06the Christie.
08:16Hi, Lee. Good morning. How are you today?
08:18All right, thank you.
08:19Oh, good. I'm just setting up for your bloods, OK?
08:22OK. Again.
08:23Again.
08:26Lee has been undergoing a series of conventional cancer treatments
08:29to slow down his cancer's growth.
08:31I think I've treated you a couple of times.
08:33Yeah, you have, yeah, yeah.
08:34I think everyone has now.
08:35Yeah.
08:36When you're talking to other cancer patients,
08:41it's like a game of top trumps.
08:43What cancer have you got then?
08:44And what have you got?
08:45And then they all say,
08:46I've got prostate cancer, I've got bowel cancer.
08:49Well, what have you got?
08:50And I go, cancer unknown primary.
08:52What's that then?
08:53Other cancer patient hadn't heard of it.
08:54I hadn't heard of it until I got to the Christie and said,
08:59this is what you've got.
09:00What I do before, though, is just do your pulse.
09:04At first, it was daunting,
09:06because the general life expectancy
09:09for cancer unknown primary is about nine months.
09:13Nearly nine months isn't a lot.
09:15So I think, right, what do I cram in in nine months?
09:18And then coming here and thinking,
09:20well, I'm coming here to pass me time.
09:23Can I just have a look at you?
09:27Yeah, sure.
09:28But when you come and you find out all the fantastic work,
09:31the doctors, the nurses, they're doing,
09:33everyone's fighting your corner.
09:35In every cancer, not just mine,
09:38do you want to find a cure?
09:46We are learning more every day,
09:48and I am actually very optimistic
09:50that significant improvements are coming.
09:52But at the same time,
09:54you've got to have your motivation.
09:56And what better motivation can there be
09:58than walking through the corridors
10:00seeing people with cancer?
10:05It's very fulfilling for me
10:06having the National Biomarker Centre
10:08in the same building as the Christie Hospital.
10:12Let me just make sure
10:13that I've got all the pictures that I need.
10:15The idea is just to bring us all together
10:17in that same environment,
10:19the clinicians, the scientists.
10:21Hi, Natalie.
10:25We develop new laboratory tests,
10:28and then we test them in patients on clinical trials.
10:31In Lee's case, we want to find out where his cancer started.
10:37Because blood is circulating around the whole body,
10:41bathing, wherever that tumour is,
10:43there's going to be blood flow.
10:44So we'll just clean the area now.
10:52Because my veins now are starting to close
10:56because of all the treatments I've had,
10:58they've put now a port into my vein there,
11:01you see it?
11:02And it's like a little valve there
11:04that you can access to get your blood
11:07rather than try and find a vein.
11:08So you've had a lot of chemotherapy, haven't you?
11:11Yeah, so...
11:12So your veins have had enough.
11:13Yeah, they give up the gulch, yeah.
11:16We couldn't do research
11:17without people like Lee
11:19donating his blood samples.
11:22It's like a dart board, isn't it?
11:24Oh, I'm good at darts.
11:25For Lee to benefit from their findings,
11:27it's a race against the clock.
11:29Right, one, two, three, nice deep breath in.
11:34The more blood they take off me
11:36to try and find it,
11:37hopefully can find
11:39where the cancer has come from
11:41and then create a drug,
11:44anything to try and find a cure quicker.
11:46There we go.
11:47That's what I've donated for.
11:49I'm coming now.
11:51I'll have a pint left,
11:52what's a second anyway?
11:55It's precious, isn't it?
11:56Your blood.
12:07In Manchester, Caroline Dive is developing
12:11a series of revolutionary blood tests
12:13that can detect cancer at the molecular level.
12:17We're making momentous discoveries
12:19about the biology of cancer
12:21from a tube of blood.
12:23We take samples from patients,
12:27just maybe a tablespoon of their blood.
12:29It comes to the lab.
12:31And then the real challenge
12:33is to see how much we can learn
12:35from that tube of blood.
12:37One of these blood tests
12:38aims to detect cancer early enough
12:40to try and stop it
12:42before it can even get started.
12:43You have to know your enemy
12:45to have a good fight
12:46and to stand a chance of winning.
12:48And in this case,
12:49with cancer as the enemy,
12:51the younger you know that enemy,
12:52the better.
12:53It's critical
12:54that we detect cancers
12:56at their earliest stage.
12:58And the real question is,
13:00can we detect cancer even earlier
13:02before cells transition
13:05into a cancerous state,
13:07that pre-cancerous state,
13:09when it's more treatable?
13:11And that's a huge challenge.
13:13Come on through.
13:22Pop your key on that chair for me.
13:24And then I need you to come
13:25and have a lie down for me.
13:27Yeah.
13:30Another patient
13:31hoping to take part
13:32in a clinical trial
13:33is 49-year-old Damien.
13:36He's having a check-up
13:37following surgery a year ago
13:39that removed a melanoma skin cancer
13:41from his back.
13:42They did say it's quite aggressive
13:43luckily we caught it quite soon.
13:46But you're thinking the worst.
13:51When I went to the specialist
13:53and they measure you up
13:54and how much they're going to take,
13:55they draw it on your back
13:56and it was like,
13:58Jesus, that's quite big that.
13:59this was the start of it all, basically.
14:0923rd of July, I think it was, 2024.
14:13It's funny to see how small it was at the time.
14:16It seemed so insignificant,
14:17but obviously it ended up not being.
14:23I wouldn't have even known it were there.
14:26It was my son that's seen it.
14:27I'd got out of the shower
14:30and she said,
14:31what's that on your back, dad?
14:34And I looked in the mirror
14:35and it looked a bit like a cocoa pop.
14:38After that period,
14:39it really grown quick.
14:42It went from,
14:43obviously,
14:43what you're seeing there
14:44to that.
14:48Cancer's like an ugly thing
14:49that looks like it
14:50does harm and damage.
14:52That's why you pick up in your head
14:53and looking at the picture,
14:54it looks like cancer.
14:59Soon after first spotting the growth,
15:01Damien went to get it checked
15:03and then had to break the news to his family
15:05that it was skin cancer.
15:08I just felt sick.
15:10You're scared to death.
15:11You know, ultimately,
15:12I could potentially lose
15:14my best friend,
15:15love of my life.
15:16We've been together 25 years
15:17and that's not the plan.
15:19We're going to grow old together.
15:22I cannot imagine him
15:23not being by my side
15:24for all that he drives me mad.
15:28I just can remember driving to work
15:31really heartbroken thinking,
15:33I don't know how this is going to impact
15:35us as a family now.
15:37Will Damien need
15:38a certain level of care
15:40or treatment?
15:41Has it spread?
15:42So, yeah,
15:43the whole thing implodes.
15:46I pray.
15:48Love one.
15:49They give you, like,
15:52a 25% chance
15:53that it could come back
15:54in the first year.
15:57God.
15:57You start reading up
15:58on the type of skin cancer,
16:00it's fast growing,
16:01it likes to travel,
16:02it likes to travel to your brain.
16:05And that was, like,
16:06the eye-opener for me.
16:07Jesus, it's not good.
16:09Well, I saw myself.
16:10You try not to,
16:13but you always think of,
16:15how long are you going to be here?
16:16Can I afford to keep the house?
16:18Can I keep my job?
16:19How can I look after the kids?
16:22You've never got that all clear,
16:24you never know.
16:25That's the scary thing.
16:26Today,
16:35Damien will find out
16:36if he is eligible
16:37for the detection trial
16:38that tests melanoma patients
16:40after surgery
16:41to try and determine
16:42if their cancer has recurred.
16:43Basically,
16:46I'm all clear at the moment,
16:48but it's weird
16:49how little aches and pains
16:50normally you wouldn't even
16:52think twice about.
16:53You think,
16:53could that be cancer back again?
16:55A little itch
16:56where my wounds,
16:56binge and I,
16:57all the little things
16:58that you don't really think of
17:00until you've got cancer.
17:05In the UK,
17:06around 18,000 new cases
17:08of melanoma
17:09are diagnosed every year.
17:11Okay, so local anaesthetic,
17:1320 mls,
17:130.25 with adrenaline.
17:16It's extraordinary,
17:17the progress that has been made
17:19in understanding
17:20how tumours behave,
17:22but there are limitations
17:23to all of our conventional
17:24types of treatment
17:26and detection of cancers.
17:28Know that this is a melanoma,
17:311.5 millimetres in thickness.
17:34Whilst we have
17:35incredibly talented people
17:37doing sophisticated surgery,
17:39what we don't know
17:41when the tumour is removed
17:42is whether
17:43every cancer cell
17:44in the body
17:45is gone
17:45and those little tiny tumour cells
17:48that were in that original cancer
17:49had already moved around the body
17:52and landed in another organ
17:54but haven't yet grown
17:56into big masses
17:56that can be seen
17:57with an imaging scan.
17:58If that's already happened,
18:00then there's a real chance
18:02that tumour might come back.
18:07Rather than detecting melanoma
18:09with a conventional CT scan,
18:12Caroline is proposing
18:13a groundbreaking new approach.
18:15So a tissue biopsy
18:20can tell you a lot
18:21about that tumour.
18:23However, accessing the tumour
18:24in the patient,
18:25particularly if that tumour
18:26is in a fairly inaccessible place,
18:28is very invasive for patients
18:30and this has given rise
18:32to a whole new type of test
18:33called a liquid biopsy.
18:35Unlike a tumour biopsy,
18:41blood can be taken
18:42from a patient
18:43again and again and again
18:45without too much discomfort
18:47for the patient.
18:50And can we find
18:51everything we can
18:52at the molecular level
18:53from a tube of blood
18:55so we diagnose cancer earlier
18:59before it evolves?
19:02Is there something
19:02that these tumour cells
19:04are putting into the bloodstream
19:06that we can pick up?
19:11Your blood contains
19:13millions of cells and molecules
19:14floating around
19:16in a liquid called plasma.
19:19If you have cancer,
19:20there may also be cancer cells
19:22and dead bits of them
19:23hidden in your blood
19:24that have been shed
19:25from your tumour.
19:28Dead cancer cells
19:28can leak fragments
19:29of tumour DNA
19:30into the blood.
19:33But your blood also
19:34has millions of other fragments
19:36from your normal,
19:37healthy DNA.
19:41So finding a few fragments
19:43of circulating tumour DNA
19:44is like trying to find
19:46a needle in a haystack.
19:51Because the burden of cancer
19:52in a human being
19:53is very low at this point,
19:55there are very few molecules
19:57that we'll be able to measure.
19:58so the test has to be
20:02very sensitive.
20:05You know,
20:06and when we first studied it,
20:08I don't know,
20:0815 years ago,
20:10everybody was very,
20:11very doubtful
20:12that that would ever be
20:13a good thing to do.
20:15And the problem
20:16is not one I alone
20:17could solve.
20:18Dr Becky Lee
20:23is one of the clinical
20:24investigators working
20:26with the National
20:26Biomarker Centre.
20:29I've had, you know,
20:30a few eureka moments
20:32along the way
20:32and actually the detection
20:34trial is based off
20:35one of those eureka moments
20:37where you suddenly realise
20:39that actually
20:39you're seeing some data
20:41that no one else has seen.
20:43When I was a PhD student,
20:46I was really inspired
20:48by what Caroline
20:49was doing in her lab.
20:52We were looking at patients
20:54with advanced melanoma.
20:58I knew that we could
20:59detect cancer in patients
21:01with lots of cancer present.
21:03So then I just thought,
21:07can we bring
21:08the cancer detection test
21:10to an earlier stage
21:13where there wasn't
21:14any evidence of disease
21:16on the scan of patients
21:18to see if we could still
21:19see whether the melanoma
21:21was present
21:22and that would be a signal
21:23of melanoma coming back.
21:26Becky used some blood samples
21:28from melanoma patients
21:29whose tumour
21:30had been removed by surgery
21:31and spent months
21:34analysing them
21:34to see if she could identify
21:36whether cancer DNA
21:37was still present.
21:39She sent her results
21:40to statisticians
21:41to check whether they
21:43matched with the patients
21:44whose melanoma
21:44later returned.
21:47That was a eureka moment
21:49when we suddenly knew
21:50that actually we were able
21:52to detect the CT DNA
21:54and it was able
21:55to predict this relapse
21:57and that was the moment
21:59that detection
22:01was really born.
22:02It was incredible
22:03because it just came over
22:04on an email
22:05and there it was.
22:06It just was like,
22:07oh wow, this is amazing.
22:10I was like,
22:10everyone come and see.
22:13So yeah, it was cool.
22:18We started with liquid biopsy
22:20in the early 2000s.
22:22I think the first mutations
22:23that we measured
22:24in liquid biopsy
22:25were in breast cancer
22:26and then lung cancer
22:27but it was really early days.
22:28we were just finding
22:30our way.
22:32We didn't use them
22:33at that point
22:33in clinical trials at all.
22:34It must be really incredible
22:36to kind of watch a field
22:38from its early existence
22:40to actually then making
22:43that difference
22:43to the patients.
22:44That's the advantage
22:44of being old.
22:46You can look back.
22:48People are there to look back.
22:49After 10 years
22:53of refining the process
22:54in the lab,
22:55the liquid biopsy test
22:57is now ready
22:57to roll out
22:58into the clinic.
22:59If I can get on this trial,
23:01it takes away that worry.
23:03For a simple blood test
23:04which is non-invasive,
23:06it's taken about
23:07two minutes to have
23:08and have a team
23:09of brilliant people
23:10check you that thoroughly
23:12would be fantastic.
23:13So obviously you've now
23:18had your surgery.
23:20You've had the scan result
23:22which hasn't shown
23:23any evidence
23:24that the melanoma's there
23:25which is really good.
23:27So I'm pleased to say
23:29that you're eligible
23:30to go on the trial.
23:32That's brilliant.
23:32Yeah.
23:34Oh, and one piece
23:36of the puzzle really.
23:38Yeah.
23:39Because anything
23:40that reduces the risk
23:41was good
23:42but as soon as I heard
23:43there was trial
23:43I was, I'm definitely
23:44up for that one
23:45if I can get it.
23:46That's brilliant that.
23:47Now we hope
23:48that we won't see
23:49any evidence of DNA
23:51coming from cancer cells
23:53and then you don't need
23:54any further treatment
23:55which would be amazing.
23:56Yeah.
23:57But even if we did find
24:00the DNA present
24:01we would be treating it
24:03at a really early stage
24:05where it's much more
24:05likely to respond.
24:07Yeah.
24:08But hopefully we'll never
24:08need to do that
24:10and we'll just monitor
24:11very, very carefully
24:12with this blood test.
24:13Fingers crossed.
24:14Yeah.
24:14Yeah.
24:22Right, let's have a look
24:23at your veins.
24:25Oh, I can see some.
24:27Beautiful.
24:30Really big news
24:31to know that I've got
24:31the clinical trial today.
24:33Gives me big hope
24:34not just for me
24:35for my family as well
24:36it eases their mind
24:37because it's not just me
24:38worried, it's everyone
24:39else in my family.
24:41It's going to sound
24:42really random
24:42but all I've had
24:43in my head all morning
24:44is the Strictly theme tune.
24:48And that's all
24:48that's going around
24:49in my head.
24:49I get that sometimes.
24:50You have no idea
24:51where it's come from.
24:51Be careful or else
24:52I'll start dancing
24:53to the Strictly theme tune.
24:55Anything to break up the day.
24:56Exactly.
24:58It's not just
24:59another blood test
25:00it's to say
25:01that your cancer clear.
25:03Not only that
25:04if they do find it
25:05you're catching it
25:06as early as you possibly
25:07ever could.
25:08And it's immediate treatment
25:10which is phenomenal.
25:12Scans can only pick up
25:13so much
25:14whereas if you go in
25:15into the depths
25:16of DNA in your blood
25:17you can't get any more
25:19minute scale than that
25:21can you?
25:22There we are.
25:24All done.
25:25Perfect.
25:28Damien's blood
25:29will be tested
25:29along with the other
25:30patient's blood samples
25:31to see if they can see
25:33any signs of cancer
25:34DNA present.
25:39This blood test
25:40is really moving
25:41things forward.
25:44Samples for you.
25:45In our current
25:47standard of care
25:47patients will be offered
25:50regular scan follow-up
25:52but generally
25:53that's at least
25:54every three to six months.
25:56so this blood test
26:01is getting that result
26:02back within ten days.
26:05We don't want to hang
26:06around where cancer's
26:07concerned.
26:09We want to get ahead
26:10of it.
26:14Once the samples
26:15are in the lab
26:16the meticulous analysis
26:18begins.
26:18to find the circulating
26:24tumour DNA
26:25first everything else
26:26in the blood
26:26that's not DNA
26:27is removed.
26:30Then all the fragments
26:31in the sample
26:32are compared with
26:33the patient's own
26:33healthy DNA.
26:36If scientists
26:37spot DNA fragments
26:38that don't match
26:39it could mean
26:40the patient
26:41has cancer.
26:42And what of course
26:45we're all hoping for
26:46for Damien
26:47is a negative test
26:49and there is no
26:50sign of tumour.
26:52And with these
26:52blood tests
26:53we can keep
26:54a really close eye
26:55on Damien
26:55and if his tumour
26:57comes back
26:57we can pick it up
26:58quickly.
27:06I think we can't
27:07over promise
27:07it's really important
27:08that we don't.
27:10From a patient
27:10perspective
27:11this is a clinical
27:12trial
27:13this test
27:14is not yet
27:14available
27:15for example
27:15on the NHS
27:16so we're testing
27:18the test
27:18there's a lot
27:20more work to do
27:20but I'm very hopeful.
27:25Basically
27:26you want peace
27:27of mind
27:27that I'm all clear
27:28for now.
27:41see girls mum
27:47see there's the first
27:48one
27:48I reckon that bit
27:50goes there though
27:51I'll try that bit
27:52yes that bit goes
27:53there as well
27:54good
27:54cracking along
27:56nicely now
27:57cooking on gas
27:59I just find it
28:01I just find it really
28:01therapeutic
28:02well it's nice to sit
28:03with mum and do
28:03something we can
28:04both do together
28:04and I just find it
28:06very satisfying
28:07when the pieces go in
28:08because most of the
28:09time the tasks that I
28:11perform are very long
28:12term and not often
28:13completed in a day
28:15so it's nice to just
28:16have something you can
28:17get done.
28:18She was a terrible baby
28:21she would not sleep
28:22in the end
28:24I got so frustrated
28:25I took her to the doctor
28:26and the doctor examined
28:28her
28:29looked at her ears
28:30looked at her eyes
28:31looked at everything
28:31and he said
28:33I can't think
28:34anything's wrong with her
28:34he said
28:35I think she's got
28:36an overactive brain
28:37and she will do
28:39very well in life.
28:44I had a fantastic
28:45childhood
28:45we lived
28:46in a public school
28:48in Sussex
28:49because my father
28:50was the head porter
28:51didn't have any money
28:55and I went to a state
28:56school
28:57but yeah I saw
28:58if you like
28:58how the other half
28:59lived
28:59but I never felt
29:01hard done by
29:02I just thought
29:02I lived in a really
29:03nice place
29:04with parents
29:05who really cared
29:06about what happened
29:07next in terms of
29:08my life
29:08my dad
29:10one of his top tips
29:11in my youth
29:12was you know
29:13every time you go to bed
29:14just think about
29:15what did I learn today
29:16he loved learning
29:18and knowledge
29:19and he didn't get
29:21a very good education
29:22himself
29:22I think he left school
29:23at something like
29:2413 years old
29:25and he was quite clever
29:26I mean he could have
29:27done very well
29:29he was clever
29:29he's a smart guy
29:31and I think you know
29:32he just wanted you
29:33to be the best
29:33you could possibly be
29:34at everything you
29:35tried to do
29:35and I think you know
29:37the need to achieve
29:39I think is sort of
29:40hardwired
29:40he was just a lovely man
29:44we miss him dreadfully
29:45I wish he was here
29:46he died two years ago
29:54now almost
29:55his liver was filled
29:59with masses
30:00of tumours
30:01on the scan
30:02he became so ill
30:05and seeing him
30:06that ill
30:07yeah it was difficult
30:09because his last three
30:10months were pretty
30:10miserable
30:11but up until that point
30:12he was strong
30:13and resilient
30:14and fought his way
30:15through it
30:15with great dignity
30:17actually
30:17every time I saw him
30:20the last thing he said
30:21was I love you
30:21you know
30:22it was emotional
30:24you know
30:27you never did know
30:28when was the last time
30:29and on his death certificate
30:34it said cancer of unknown
30:35primary
30:35which is an intriguing
30:38type of cancer
30:39that has a very personal
30:42importance to me now
30:44and we've been working
30:46together now
30:46for many years
30:47to try and solve
30:48that problem
30:49and it will be a special
30:51moment for me
30:52to see the work
30:53we're doing now
30:54that could help
30:55patients with cancer
30:56of unknown primary
30:57in the future
30:58because it must be awful
31:00knowing you've got cancer
31:01but not knowing
31:02where it's come from
31:03with perhaps not a great
31:04chance of improvement
31:06in 2021
31:15I found two little lumps
31:16on my ribcage
31:17at the back
31:18so I weren't really
31:19concerned about the lumps
31:20it was the pain
31:21the pain was more
31:23towards my kidney
31:24and over the weeks
31:26the pain got worse
31:27I understand
31:31how people
31:32with pain
31:33could take
31:34their own life
31:35because I honestly
31:36thought about it
31:36because the pain
31:37was that bad
31:38I'm glad it didn't
31:41but yeah
31:44it was dark
31:45Lee was diagnosed
31:50with cancer
31:51of unknown primary
31:52after a mass of tumours
31:54were discovered
31:54in his kidney
31:55when I got the cancer
31:57I thought
31:58cancer's cancer
31:58that's it
31:59but I then to be told
32:00cancer's unknown primary
32:02I didn't understand
32:03what that meant
32:04you think to yourself
32:05why
32:05why can't you find it
32:06how I look at this
32:09and it's dead simple
32:09I woke up one morning
32:11and the little cancer
32:12gremlin's gone
32:13it's your turn today
32:14but you're having
32:15this special one
32:16you're having one
32:17we can't find
32:17and that's what
32:18the doctors say
32:19doctors find patients
32:22like Lee
32:23so mysterious
32:24because unlike
32:25all other cancer
32:26patients
32:26nobody knows
32:27where their cancer
32:28first began
32:29when a cancer starts
32:35it's called a primary cancer
32:37and its type
32:38is determined
32:39by its location
32:40over time
32:44cancer cells
32:45can break off
32:45and spread to other organs
32:47forming secondary cancers
32:48this is called
32:51metastasis
32:52when doctors don't know
32:55where the cancer started
32:56it's called
32:56cancer of a known primary
32:58this is a perplexing
33:07type of cancer
33:08because
33:09patients have
33:10advanced disease
33:11only when you know
33:15where the tumor started
33:16can you have a really
33:17rational discussion
33:19about what the right
33:19treatment would be
33:21why does that matter
33:22for treatment
33:22because it has
33:23a different biology
33:24so it requires
33:26a different sort
33:27of treatment
33:28at the moment
33:31there is no
33:32personalized treatment
33:33for patients
33:34with cancer
33:35of unknown primary
33:35I think there's
33:37an idea
33:38that you know
33:38if you have a cancer
33:39in the brain
33:40it must be brain cancer
33:42that's not true
33:44if you sequence
33:45the DNA
33:45of a primary lung cancer
33:47and let's say
33:49that primary lung cancer
33:50moves and starts
33:51to grow in the brain
33:52and then you took
33:53that metastatic
33:54secondary lesion
33:55in the brain
33:55and sequenced it
33:56it would look
33:56more like the lung cancer
33:58than it would like
33:59anything that comes
34:00from the brain
34:00okay Lee
34:03this is going to be
34:0430 minutes
34:05yeah
34:05perfect
34:06have you heard
34:08any reaction
34:08in the past
34:09no
34:09because Lee's cancer
34:12was discovered
34:13so late
34:13it's spread
34:14and it's inoperable
34:16so Lee began
34:17a series of
34:18traditional treatments
34:19I had my first
34:20chemo session
34:21and they scanned me
34:22and it shrunk to half
34:24so the chemo
34:26it was doing
34:27so they gave me
34:31another three sessions
34:31of chemotherapy
34:32and said they're bringing
34:33this new drug out
34:34called immunotherapy
34:35so that's going to be
34:3830 minutes
34:38any problem
34:39just let me know
34:40I will do
34:40I also had
34:4210 sessions
34:43of radial therapy
34:45which pinpoints
34:45the cancer
34:46so it's like
34:47lasers I think
34:48and it burns it
34:49but it can cause
34:50other side effects
34:52like because it was
34:53so close to my kidney
34:54it could have destroyed
34:55my kidney
34:55but luckily it didn't
34:57so I had
34:58more chemo
34:59and then the immunotherapy
35:00which is
35:01it's keeping me here
35:02touch wood
35:03despite being given
35:07just nine months
35:08to live
35:09Lee has been
35:10receiving treatment
35:11at the Christie Hospital
35:12for three years
35:13he's been under the care
35:15of Dr Natalie Cook
35:16a leading expert
35:17in cancer of unknown primary
35:19we had multiple different investigations
35:23ultrasound scans
35:24CT scans
35:25MRI scans
35:26biopsies
35:27and after all of that
35:28we did not find out
35:30anything that would help
35:31personalise his treatment options
35:33unfortunately prognosis
35:36remains quite poor
35:38for most patients
35:38diagnosed with cancer
35:39of unknown primary
35:40often it's around
35:42about three to six months
35:43but obviously Lee's done
35:44significantly better than that
35:46we don't know exactly
35:47why he's responded
35:48to the immunotherapy
35:48but it's under control
35:50so he remains a true
35:52cancer of unknown primary
35:53which is annoying to me
35:55because I do like to
35:56try and find out
35:57where the cancer started
35:58and in his case
35:58it truly is still a mystery
36:00have a seat Lee
36:02thank you
36:03right how are you feeling today
36:07alright
36:08yes
36:08since we last saw you here
36:10has there been any changes
36:12nothing no
36:13no so feeling generally
36:14okay in yourself
36:15brilliant yeah
36:15no pain
36:16okay
36:16no I think you're
36:17definitely one of the
36:18kind of lucky ones
36:20because the chemotherapy
36:20worked really well
36:21yeah
36:22and that seems to be
36:23keeping things under control
36:25doesn't it
36:25yeah I've done like
36:2653 or 54 treatments
36:28now
36:28let me just go back to
36:29when you first started
36:31was on
36:31was February 2022
36:35right
36:36so over three years now
36:37so that's amazing
36:38I understand
36:39but if you can't find
36:40the primary source of a cancer
36:42you're not going to cure it
36:43you can't
36:44you can generally look after it
36:45but I'm not holding out
36:47because you
36:48if you can't find after three years now
36:50I think it's in itself
36:52but I'm still here and fighting
36:54the corner
36:54that's what you'd like to see
36:56and long may it continue basically
36:57yeah I feel really good at the moment
36:59yeah she's my guardian angel
37:01no don't put that in camera
37:04Natalie's investigations
37:11uncovered that little research
37:12had been done in this particular field
37:14so she got in touch with Caroline
37:17to get her help
37:18together we've been able to develop this test
37:21that we call cup ID
37:23cancer of our unknown primary identification
37:26or cupid
37:27and we're hoping that
37:29by taking a blood sample from a patient
37:31we can have a pretty good idea
37:33of where that tumour started
37:35this blood test is a little different
37:43in as much as
37:44we look at the fragments of cancer cell DNA
37:47shed into the bloodstream
37:48but we can also look for
37:51the pattern of molecules
37:52which are on it
37:54and those patterns
37:57it's a bit like a postcode
37:59they can tell us
37:59which organ in the body
38:01the tumour started off in
38:03so if you have a tumour that starts in the liver
38:07guess what
38:08it'll have a liver postcode
38:10we can measure those postcodes
38:13in the DNA
38:15and we can tell you
38:16where the tumour started from
38:17in order to isolate this data
38:22they use metal beads coated in a protein
38:25which the tumour DNA will bind to
38:28a magnetic strip
38:30then attracts the DNA coated beads
38:32enabling them to extract the molecules
38:35millions of pieces of DNA
38:37are then analysed
38:39allowing their codes to be read
38:40we can now be fairly confident
38:43that we can predict
38:44a cancer of unknown primary
38:46started in the lung
38:47or it started in the colon
38:49in the gut
38:49and I think for those
38:51common cancers of unknown primary
38:54within two weeks
38:55of the patient arriving in clinic
38:58I think we'll be able to make a diagnosis
39:00of where their cancer started
39:01but also the opportunity
39:05to direct a better treatment
39:07to your particular cancer
39:08so it's new pioneering work
39:11that we really feel
39:12we can do something to fix
39:14Caroline and Natalie
39:16have collected hundreds of blood samples
39:18from people with known cancers
39:20and are building an atlas of postcodes
39:22to map out where the cancer comes from
39:24so far the test can match
39:27unknown primaries
39:29to 29 common cancers
39:31but with over 200 different types of cancer
39:34there's still a long way to go
39:36I know it's incurable
39:42but hopefully it's manageable
39:45with all these treatments
39:46now I know
39:47they're not going to last forever
39:48I know
39:50at a time they're going to say
39:52we've either got
39:55a cure for you
39:56and we've found it
39:59or they're going to say
40:01there's not a lot more we can do
40:03it does bother me why I've got cancer
40:08because I don't know why I've got cancer
40:10no one in my family has had it
40:13so why me
40:14that's the answer that I think
40:16most cancer patients want
40:17why
40:19what have I done
40:20it would be nice to be told
40:22right
40:23we've found where the cancer has come from
40:26hopefully
40:27it'll be sooner than later
40:29that's the life that we strive for
40:52sat there with a glass of whiskey
40:54watching the day go by
40:55definitely look forward to her
40:58reaching retirement age
41:00Damien is waiting to get the results from the trial
41:06to find out if any cancer DNA is still present in his blood
41:09no one ever looks forward to finding out if they've still got cancer or not
41:15obviously everything runs through your mind
41:17I don't want to get ill
41:19I don't want my family to see me getting ill
41:21obviously I want to be here
41:23I want to see my grandkids grow up
41:24I want to enjoy life with them
41:27so
41:28yeah it certainly plays on your mind a fair bit
41:32after analysing all the data from the trial
41:41Becky must also bring those results back to the patients taking part
41:45we have a job where
41:47things can be fantastic for one patient
41:50and then go to another patient
41:52and it's awful
41:53and you're about to tell them something
41:56that's really going to change their life again
41:58hi
42:11hi Damien it's Becky Lee the consultant
42:15are you okay
42:16just to let you know
42:19that your result
42:21is negative
42:22so great news
42:27brilliant
42:29thank you
42:30that's fantastic news
42:32fantastic
42:34no
42:35no that's lovely
42:37the sun's shining so
42:38couldn't have been a better day
42:40okay well I'll speak to you soon
42:43brilliant
42:43bye
42:44thank you
42:44bye bye
42:44couldn't be any better
42:54bank holiday on the horizon
42:56spend time with my family
42:57with the all clear for now
42:59fantastic
43:00hi Dal
43:06how's it Dal
43:07yeah just got the phone call
43:08and we've got the all clear
43:10oh brilliant
43:11hope it's gone forever now
43:12yep
43:13onwards
43:14we can plan the weekend now
43:15I'll see you later Dal
43:18see you babe
43:19bye
43:19bye
43:20I think it's becoming very clear
43:29that biomarker tests in blood
43:31are changing
43:34how we even think about the early detection of cancer
43:37they really are changing the game
43:40I think it's the golden age of cancer research
43:43it's massively exciting
43:44you know and at the moment
43:47patients are giving blood in the hospital
43:49but you might like to think in the years to come
43:52we'll wear a wearable device
43:53your smart watch or whatever it is you're wearing
43:57will say
43:57beep beep beep
43:58it's the first Tuesday in the month
44:00pop down to your pharmacy to give your blood in
44:03it's your routine blood test for cancer
44:05you know we're not there yet
44:09but it's it's a nice future to think about
44:12because you know it is doable
44:13and I think we'll get there
44:16three years on from his diagnosis
44:26the mystery of where Lee's cancer started
44:28remains unsolved
44:30all right
44:30all right Lee
44:31fellas
44:32you all right
44:33oh shit
44:36stop swearing
44:37don't think these lot drink in a catholic club would you
44:42who's on next
44:46I've decided now
44:48cancer won't meet me
44:50it's not going to get me down
44:52oh looky mate
44:54because there's nothing I can do about it
44:57so why worry
44:58why sit at home and go
45:00why me why me
45:01it's me
45:01and now we're three and a half years in
45:05I'm still here now
45:06still enjoying myself
45:08so
45:08you know
45:13Dr Cook said to me
45:14and this gives you
45:16hope
45:17and she said
45:18what's not curable today
45:19could be curable tomorrow
45:21the lads will pull us through
45:26you can't give up life
45:29it's too precious
45:30you've got to maintain that up
45:34listen I'll go to heaven mate
45:38yeah
45:39only if gates are locked downstairs
45:42I tell you
45:43I'm going to heaven
45:45I'll let you open the gate for me
45:49I'll let you know
45:51I'll let you know
45:52I'll let you know
46:09I
46:09can't get you
46:10to know
46:11support information for the issues raised can be found online at channel 4.com forward slash support
46:33kicking it to the curb with a whole night of standing up to cancer fundraising fun and
46:39celeb goglin adam hills and hannah fry get things going from 7 30 next friday
Be the first to comment