Hugh Chown, 65, from Harrogate, was diagnosed with rectal cancer at Leeds Cancer Centre after contacting his GP after a few months of occasional bleeding.
“I got the diagnosis – it was totally unexpected. I was shocked but accepting of it. I knew worrying wouldn’t help, so I just focused on living life.”
He said his consultant told him about the clinical trial two weeks later.
“She explained that the usual treatment would be surgery and it was highly likely I’d be left with a permanent colostomy bag.”
He said she told him she thought he had a good chance of a positive outcome from the trial and said the decision to participate “wasn’t difficult”.
Hugh said the “worst-case scenario” was that it would not work and he would still need surgery.
His treatment consisted of taking tablets twice a day and receiving one radiotherapy session a day, five days a week for five weeks.
“For the first two weeks, the side effects were minimal but by the middle of the third week, I started to feel run down and tired and this got worse as the treatment went on.
“The fatigue also continued to get worse for a few weeks after the treatment stopped.”
He said the effects took about six months to wear off completely, but it had a minimal impact compared to major surgery and a permanent colostomy bag.
“The consultant said I’d had a perfect result and the cancer was gone, but because it was part of the trial, I had another [colonoscopy] at 16 weeks and all was still clear.”
He said after that he moved on to regular checks for the trial and then the standard NHS cancer checks for a further two weeks.
“My last check was in May this year and everything was fine,” he addd.
Hugh’s first wife died from bowel cancer at the age of 41 and he was supported through his treatment by his daughter, Rachel.
The 33-year-old is associate director of research and innovation at the Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester, a specialist cancer treatment centre.
“I was nine when my mum died of bowel cancer, but outcomes now are very different,” she said.
“I felt fortunate because my work in cancer care and research helped me understand the choices Dad was offered, and what they meant. When I heard about the trial, I felt strongly that it was his best option.”
