Gran, 49, sees advanced colon cancer shrinking after new drug treatment

The drug, so new it still has a name, shrank Terri Hurdman’s advanced colon cancer tumors in half after the experimental treatment

A 49-year-old grandma with advanced colon cancer has seen her tumors shrink by half after an experimental drug treatment.

Terri Hurdman took part in a clinical trial for a new drug that targets a specific gene that controls cancer growth.

The drug is so new it hasn’t been given a name yet, but medical professionals are impressed with its results.

Terri was exhausted and out of breath from her cancer.

She struggled with simple tasks like climbing stairs, walking a short distance, or even using the phone.

But within hours of testing the new drug at the Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester, she was climbing stairs with ease and after three months, scans showed her tumor size had halved.

Terri, from Bromsgrove in Worcestershire, who has three children and six grandchildren, was diagnosed with advanced colon cancer on Valentine’s Day 2020.

The previously fit and healthy factory worker, who was used to doing manual labor for a company that made medical supplies, initially thought her abdominal pain might be irritable bowel syndrome, but her GP referred her to Kidderminster Hospital, who was treating her with fourth-degree colon cancer stage which had spread to her lungs.

She underwent three types of chemotherapy that didn’t work, and the medics told her she was out of options.

In August 2021, she was very ill, had lost 1.5 parts by weight and was becoming weak, requiring a wheelchair to get out of the house.

Her advisor at Kidderminster knew that Christie was investigating therapies that target the genes and proteins that control the growth and spread of cancer cells.

Terri has a mutation in her cancer’s KRAS gene, and it has been difficult for scientists to develop drugs to treat this gene. There are different types of KRAS mutations and doctors found in an international study that she had the one targeted by the new drug.

As soon as she took the first dose of the tablets last October, her condition improved significantly.

She said: “It’s like a miracle. It really is a miracle drug. Within a few days, I no longer needed to use the wheelchair at all and was not getting out of breath climbing stairs, which would previously have caused a fit of coughing.

“That day I spoke to my sister on the phone for an hour, something that would have wiped me out before.

“My appetite came back which made me look so much healthier and the color returned to my cheeks.

“I didn’t think I’d make it to Christmas but now I’m looking forward to celebrating my 50th birthday in July. I feel again and can enjoy life.”

dr Matthew Krebs, Medical Oncologist at Christie and the University of Manchester, said: “We are delighted with Terri’s response to this treatment.

“Her scans show that her tumors have reduced by almost 50% in just three months.

“This is promising for an early-stage drug that targets KRAS mutations that have historically been very difficult to treat.

“There is still a long way to go before this drug is routinely available to patients, and not everyone will respond that way, but Terri’s case underscores the importance of genetic testing in cancer patients and the potential benefit that clinical trials of new drugs can have.”