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Doctors are looking for cancer ‘super-survivors’ who could unlock the secret to beating The Big C.
It is part of a new study examining people who survived five years after being diagnosed with advanced cancer.
The Times reported that eight British hospitals will take part in the international trial to find cancer “super survivors” – people who should have lived for months but are instead still alive five years later – to find out how have survived so long.
Dr Thankamma Ajithkumar, an oncologist at Cambridge University Hospitals, told the newspaper: ‘You have these patients (…) and all you can think is: why is this man still there?’
“Every 10 years or so you find someone who exceeds all expectations,” he added.
The aim of the trial is to discover what makes these sick people live, rather than what makes sick people die.
Eight British hospitals will take part in the international trial to find cancer ‘super survivors’ – people who should have been given months to live but are instead still alive five years later – to find out how they survived so long (file image )
Doctors want to understand why there are exceptional survivors of the disease and how they managed to overcome these mutations (file image)
Nicolas Wolikow, co-founder of French biotech company Cure51, is organizing the trial and said cancer is a “pernicious” disease because it is a disease that mutates.
To find out more, he said, “we’re going to try to become as intelligent as he is.”
Doctors want to understand why there are exceptional survivors of the disease and how they managed to overcome these mutations.
Mr Wolikow said the aim is to find around 500 people in Britain and abroad who have contracted three of the deadliest cancers and should have died much sooner.
The deadliest cancers are advanced small cell lung cancer, advanced pancreatic cancer and glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer.
Some of the people involved may have ultimately died from the cancer, but there will be others who are still alive.
Dr. Ajithkumar said the team searched medical records and spread the message among colleagues.
He wondered whether some people’s immune systems are stronger or might respond better to treatments.
But the suspicion is that there must be something there.
“We want to learn from anecdotes,” said Dr Ajithkumar.
Any potential super survivors of advanced small cell lung cancer, advanced pancreatic cancer or glioblastoma can contact info@cancer.cam.ac.uk to take part in the trial.