"It was a big commitment of course, but so worth it. I was still able to go to school, work and play football. I really tried to live life relatively normally. When I was 23, my team told me I was in complete remission and would just need yearly scans to keep an eye on things."
Today marks International Clinical Trials Day, 29-year-old Sean Ryan from Punchestown who was diagnosed with Melanoma in 2011 shares his story:
“I always had a mole on the back of my neck, but when I was 16, the mole started catching on my school shirt. It was an odd shape and colour, so we ended up going to the GP. It was recommended that the mole be removed at the hospital.
“The mole was tested, and it came back as melanoma, so a further site excision was then required.
“I don’t think I understood the gravity of the diagnosis at the time, as I was so young. After this procedure the doctors told me no further treatment was needed, so I honestly didn’t think very much more of it.”
“Over a year later however, my girlfriend at the time noticed what looked like a grain of rice under the skin on the right side of my neck. I decided to get it checked out and had it biopsied.
“Cancer cells were found in the biopsy, so I was booked in for another procedure. This time I had to have 36 lymph nodes removed from my neck, followed by about 8 weeks of radiotherapy.
“The initial scans after all this, came back clear. But when I went back awhile later, the cancer cells had appeared in my spleen, vertebrae in my lower back and the top of my left femur. It was still melanoma, stage IV metastatic melanoma.
“At this stage, I had just turned 18, so had been dealing with this on and off for about two years.
“My consultant discussed the possibility of taking part in a clinical trial called CheckMate-067, which I had met the requirements for. I decided to go ahead and take part, this meant I would travel to Dublin for treatment every second Tuesday for almost 5 years.
“It was a big commitment of course, but so worth it. I was still able to go to school, work and play football. I really tried to live life relatively normally. When I was 23, my team told me I was in complete remission and would just need yearly scans to keep an eye on things.
“In July, it will be six years since I finished my trial and I have thankfully been doing well since!
“With the trial I didn’t have to go through chemotherapy, I do have some side effects like vitiligo, but nothing I can’t manage. I would recommend anyone to look into trials as an option, not all trials are suitable for all patients, but it’s definitely worth exploring.”
We are encouraging people living with cancer to ask their doctor if there is a relevant cancer trial that they can join to increase their treatment options.
For more information on cancer trials, visit: https://www.cancer.ie/cancer-information-and-support/cancer-information…;
