Woman given months to live now cancer-free after clinical drug trial: 'I feel like I've been reborn'

A woman who was given less than a year to live after a being diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer in 2017 has now been told she is clear of the disease thanks to a promising clinical trial. Jasmin David from Fallowfield in the U.K. says she feels "reborn" after being miraculously cleared of the cancer that had spread to her lungs, lymph nodes and chest bone just a few years ago. The previously fit and healthy mother-of-two discovered she had an aggressive triple negative form of breast cancer in November 2017 when she found a lump above her nipple and got herself checked out.

The 51-year-old, who worked as a clinical lead at a care home for the elderly, underwent a gruelling six months of chemotherapy and a mastectomy in April 2018, followed by 15 cycles of radiotherapy which cleared her body of cancer. However, in October 2019, David was informed that the cancer had returned as scans showed multiple lesions throughout her body, indicating that she had a poor prognosis. With all other treatment options exhausted, two months later she was offered the opportunity to take part in an early phase clinical trial at the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Manchester Clinical Research Facility (CRF) at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester.

In December 2019, David began the two-year trial where she was given an experimental medicine combined with atezolizumab, an immunotherapy drug administered intravenously. In a press release published this week, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust announced that David is now showing no evidence of the disease. "I was 15 months down the line after my initial cancer treatment and had almost forgotten about it, but then the cancer returned. When I was offered the trial I didn’t know if it would work for me, but I thought that at least I could do something to help others and use my body for the next generation," said David, who will continue to take part in the clinical trial until December 2023.

"At first I had many horrible side effects including headaches and spiking temperatures, so I was in hospital over Christmas and quite poorly. Then thankfully I started to respond well to the treatment," she continued. "I celebrated my 50th birthday in February 2020 while still in the middle of treatment and not knowing what the future held. Two and a half years ago, I thought it was the end and I now feel like I've been reborn."

Speaking to BBC Radio Manchester, David revealed that she has decided to take early retirement and "live my life in gratitude to God and to medical science" since returning from India to visit her 97-year-old mother in April. "I am here thanks to The Christie and to medical research," she said. David admitted that it was "emotional" returning to India with the "good news" this year, having visited her loved ones two years ago to say her goodbyes. "There is a change in my life after returning from India to see family in April and I have decided to take early retirement and to live my life in gratitude to God and to medical science. My family have been very supportive of this decision," she said in the press release.

"I will be celebrating my 25th wedding anniversary in September. I have so much to look forward to. My Christian faith helped me a lot on this journey and the prayers and support from family and friends gave me strength to face the challenge," David added. Professor Fiona Thistlethwaite, Medical Oncologist and Clinical Director of Manchester CRF at The Christie, who is leading on the study in the U.K., said: "We are really pleased that Jasmin has had such a good outcome. At The Christie we are continually testing new drugs and therapies to see if they can benefit more people."