Clinical trial brings remission for blood cancer

One year after starting in a clinical trial for treatment of blood cancer, Brian and his family received the welcome news that he is now cancer-free.

Five years later and Brian is still enjoying life with his wife of 60 years, his 4 children, 13 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren. He’s even been able to enjoy some long-held dreams to travel in Australia and enjoy some fishing with his eldest son.

Brian had been working full time when he fell at home in 2016. Taken to Mater Hospital for tests, he subsequently received a diagnosis of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia (CLL).

Brian had been contemplating a limited future when one of his doctors said, “Brian, there’s a trial, you can go on this trial”. His daughter Tammy recalls “we just thought ‘wow, how fortunate is he to be almost on death’s door, to where he probably needed to go into a nursing home because he wouldn’t be able to walk any longer, and boom’”.

Brian was part of a randomised clinical trial of the drug Acalabrutinib at Mater that was led by Mater Haematology with researchers Dr Naadir Gutta and Dr Mimi Yue. The trial drug Brian was taking is now approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) and available under the Public Benefit Scheme (PBS).

Your support of Cars for Cancer is vital to the work of Mater researchers. Each ticket that you buy is supporting vital cancer research like that undertaken by Dr Gutta and his team.

You are changing lives with every ticket that you buy and helping to bring hope and healing to patients like Brian, and so many more. Thank you!