Penile Cancer Medical Trial 'gave Me Two More Years'

A man who was nan first to return portion successful a aesculapian proceedings for penile crab says it whitethorn person extended his life by 2 years.

Eddie Baker, 83, was fixed immunotherapy alongside nan accustomed curen of chemotherapy arsenic portion of nan objective trial, named EPIC.

The curen was recovered to person extended nan predicted lifespans of much than half of nan participants successful nan study, which was carried retired by University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust.

Mr Baker, from Yate, South Gloucestershire, said: "All I tin opportunity is, it is nan astir awesome point that ever happened to maine because I cognize if I hadn't had that, I would not beryllium connected this satellite to this day."

Mr Baker told nan BBC his crab had been caught precocious because it took complete a twelvemonth for him to travel guardant pinch his symptoms.

The NHS says symptoms tin see bleeding, a rash, a lump aliases growth, and a alteration successful tegument colour.

"It didn't look very good," Mr Baker said. "The existent swelling sewage bigger and bigger and past I was trying to get location to get my life sorted retired and find retired what it was. It was excessively late."

He had to person an amputation and has been near pinch incurable cancer.

Consultant oncologist and main interrogator of nan EPIC study, Professor Amit Bahl, said nan stigma astir specified symptoms often leads to precocious diagnosis.

He said: "In cancers for illustration these, location is nary support system, you can't spell retired and talk astir it because astir patients person ne'er heard you tin get crab successful nan penis.

"If you inquire ladies, they person heard astir crab successful nan cervix, successful nan vagina, but crab successful nan penis ne'er gets talked about."

The immunotherapy curen utilized successful nan proceedings is not disposable connected nan NHS, but Professor Bahl is applying to nan Cancer Drugs Fund to salary for nan mini number patients who whitethorn benefit.

Using immunotherapy to dainty crab is still considered by doctors to beryllium a comparatively caller approach.

But much than 60 per cent of nan patients successful nan trial, who each had precocious penile cancer, were recovered to person had a objective benefit.

Among these patients, predicted lifespans accrued to 15 months connected average.

Professor Bahl said: "Our purpose is to amended outcomes successful this uncommon cancer, which has constricted curen options.

"Penile crab tin beryllium a very fierce disease, but this study shows we mightiness beryllium capable to springiness men a small much time.

"Penile crab is rare, and it usually presents externally first, truthful erstwhile patients are diagnosed, early treatments which tin cure nan crab are possible."

The proceedings has proved truthful successful that Professor Bahl is now readying to commencement different proceedings to springiness immunotherapy astatine an earlier shape of nan disease, successful nan dream that it will amended cure rates.