Manchester woman successfully beats breast cancer after a clinical trial

Indian-origin Jasmin David was part of a clinical trial that saved her life

51-year-old Jasmin David, an Indian-origin woman from Fallowfield, Manchester recently celebrated after emerging victorious from a tough battle against breast cancer.

David was told that she had a few months to live by her doctors when she became a part of a clinical trial at the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Manchester Clinical Research Facility (CRF) at Christie NHS Foundation Trust. 

The two-year trial which involved the use of ‘an experimental medicine combined with Atezolizumab, an immunotherapy drug administered intravenously’ which David still uses every three weeks.

The mother-of-two was ‘fit and healthy’ before her diagnosis and worked as a clinical lead at care home. However, one day she noticed ‘a lump above the nipple’ which ultimately led to her finding out that she had ‘an aggressive triple negative form of breast cancer’ back in late 2017.

Giving details about the trial, David said, “I was 15 months down the line after my initial cancer treatment and had almost forgotten about it, but then the cancer returned,” recalls Ms David.”

“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. 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 added. 

David had to undergo several treatments including six months of chemotherapy and a mastectomy in April 2018 and later she received 15 cycles of radiotherapy which cleared her cancer. 

Unfortunately, the cancer was detected again in October 2019 with ‘multiple lesions throughout her body’ which meant that the cancer had spread to several organs in her body including lungs, lymph nodes and chest bone. She was then told that she had less than a year to live, before she was offered to take part in the phase I clinical trial which saved her life.

She said, “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.”.

“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. 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,” she concluded.