The Christie NHS Foundation Trust

Zara McCormick, a 36-year-old mum and project manager from Tameside, has been cancer-free for 18 months after taking part in a clinical trial at The Christie. She was diagnosed with stage 3c bowel cancer the week of her son’s first birthday. She had initially put her symptoms - anaemia and breathlessness - down to pregnancy, but got checked out when they continued after Lewis was born. Zara’s cancer had an MSI-H mutation, which is very responsive to immunotherapy - a type of treatment that harnesses the immune system to find and attack the cancer - so she was referred to The Christie to find out more about an immunotherapy trial called NEOPRISM. Zara started her 3 cycles of pembrolizumab in June 2023, which was followed by surgery in September to remove the part of the bowel where the tumour was. She remains cancer-free and now has 6-monthly scans and yearly colonoscopies at The Christie. The interim results of the trial show that almost 60% of patients had no signs of cancer after treatment with pembrolizumab alone, with the rest cancer-free after subsequent surgery. Professor Mark Saunders, Zara’s consultant oncologist at The Christie, says: “It’s brilliant to see that Zara and all the other patients have responded so well to immunotherapy. More trials need to be done to validate the findings, but the results we’ve seen so far are really encouraging. Pembrolizumab is a very effective drug and has the potential to change the lives of a few thousand people diagnosed with this type of bowel cancer in the UK every year.” More 👉 https://bit.ly/3UGOxqJ

📣 More than 105,000 chemotherapy and immunotherapy treatments delivered in a year for the first time at The Christie. 💬 Gemma Jones, Lead Nurse for Systematic Anti-Cancer Therapy, said: “Our dedicated staff are working harder than ever to keep up with demand. Despite these record numbers, our colleagues still aim to provide the highest standards of compassion and care.” 🎗️The 100,000th person to receive treatment, Suzanne Lakin, 45, from Denton, who was treated for breast cancer. Suzanne runs her own design business and is mum to Sophie, Millie and Grace. 💬 “The staff in the blood room told me I looked great in my very first wig, it meant the world to me and gave me the confidence to show it off to the world.” After five months of treatment, Suzanne had surgery and now, she's thrilled to be cancer-free. "Despite the team doing so many treatments, I have never been treated as a number or even a cancer patient. They make me feel like I'm their friend, daughter, or mother." 👏 Thank you to our incredible staff who work tirelessly to provide high-quality care.

Tom Spencer worked as a porter at The Christie for nearly three years before moving into his current role as waste minimisation officer last year. ♻️ He oversees all the waste across the Trust – from clinical waste to things like furniture – to make sure we’re being as sustainable as possible Tom used to work in IT but was made redundant during COVID. He applied for a portering job at The Christie and hasn’t looked back since. “Getting to know patients was the thing I loved about being a porter. After a while, you looked at the list and started to recognise people’s names on there. I enjoyed chatting to them. I got to know one woman particularly well – she even said that I was her personal porter. That still makes me smile even now,” he says. “I started learning about the waste side of things early on, so this role seemed like a natural fit. We are a zero-landfill site, ensuring that we reuse and recycle as much as possible. My managers and colleagues have been supportive of my development, which is great.” Want to work with us? Have a look at our current vacancies on our website 👉 https://bit.ly/40vqKxv

The Christie is one of only two hospitals in the country to treat a rare appendix cancer called pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP). PMP is caused by a tumour in the appendix which produces a jelly-like cancerous substance called mucin, which, as the tumour grows, spreads into the abdomen, coating the abdominal wall and major organs. The only treatment currently available is invasive surgery. People need a big operation to remove any affected organs, and then heated chemo is introduced into the tummy to remove any leftover cancerous cells. There are no other treatments for people who can’t have the operation, or whose cancer comes back. Researchers at The Christie are trying to change this. They’ve grown the tumours outside the body and classified all the genetic mutations associated with PMP, both for the first time. Although it’s still early days, they’re hoping that having done this important groundwork, they’ll now be able to do clinical trials that ‘match’ PMP patients with existing drugs that target those mutations in other types of cancer. Alison McCready, a 71-year-old retired librarian, was one of the first people to be treated for PMP at The Christie. Of the research, she says: “My treatment worked, but if it hadn’t, I might not have had any other options. There haven’t been any new developments for a long time, so I’m happy to hear that the team at The Christie is working on identifying much-needed new treatments. What they’re doing is truly ground-breaking and has the potential to help so many people.”

The Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC) has recognised The Christie as an international centre of excellence for supportive oncology. The Christie directorate of supportive oncology incorporates medical and non-medical teams that help to manage the adverse effects of cancer and its treatment, across the whole spectrum of the disease. Taking a holistic approach, they enhance patient outcomes and wellbeing by managing physical symptoms, such as pain, complications of treatment for those living with and beyond cancer, while also addressing psychological, social, and practical challenges. Delivering such wide-reaching care is a team effort involving doctors, nurses, dieticians, and physiotherapists, amongst others. The service sees around 2,000 patients a year. To be accredited, the directorate had to demonstrate the difference the service was making across several different areas, including research, education, and training. “Cancer treatments are improving all the time, which means more and more people will be living with cancer in the future. Supportive oncology is about helping them live the best lives they can, even if they can’t be cured. It’ll be an important part of cancer treatment in the future. “We were the first hospital in the world to have a directorate like this and are proud to have received this accreditation. It provides assurance for patients that we provide truly comprehensive cancer care, which also includes support for those with side effects,” comments Dr Richard Berman, Deputy Clinical Director of Supportive Oncology at The Christie. In addition to the MASCC accreditation, The Christie’s supportive care model has received national attention, with endorsements from the Royal College of Physicians, The Royal College of Radiologists, the Association of Palliative Medicine, and the UK Association of Supportive Care in Cancer.

Last week saw the return of our annual garden party, a way of saying thank you to our brilliant colleagues. Colleagues had a picnic in the sun and played games like swingball and Jenga. The hotly contested Christie bake-off and art competitions were judged by the Greater Manchester Fire & Rescue Service. Thank you to everyone who entered the competitions and to all our colleagues for everything they do. 💙

Last week, we held our first-ever international fellowship showcase event. Several of our fellows presented their work, with representation from a broad range of areas, including medical oncology, clinical oncology, supportive care, and clinical outcomes and data. We have 96 clinical fellows working at The Christie, around half of whom have come from other countries to work here.

49-year-old John Hunt from Tarbert in the west of Scotland marked the end of proton beam therapy by playing a tune on the bagpipes that he wrote especially for the occasion. John, who has a thoracic chordoma – a rare type of spinal cancer – has been a piper for many years and came up with the idea while he was in Manchester for treatment. “Everyone at The Christie was amazing. I was away from home for nine weeks, which was difficult, but they did everything they could to make sure that I had the best experience possible. I called the tune ‘The March of the Protons’ and it’s dedicated to my team. It’s my way of saying thank you.” John also played the pipes as he was leaving The Christie for the final time. “Playing the pipes is a big part of my life, and for me it was the perfect way to mark the end of my proton beam therapy treatment,” he adds.

Researchers at The Christie and the Cancer Research UK National Biomarker Centre are trialling a blood test that can identify how active someone’s melanoma skin cancer is in real-time. This is important as being able to start and pause treatment at the right time can stop people with stage four melanoma from becoming resistant to treatment, as well as help to reduce side effects. The test works by looking for tiny bits of cancer DNA that are present in the blood. Dr Rebecca Lee, Consultant Oncologist and Clinician Scientist at The Christie, is leading the research. She said: “Cancer treated with targeted therapy can be thought of as two armies of cells: those that are sensitive to the treatment and those that are resistant, which fight for nutrients in order to grow. "A patient does not want either cell army to win, as that means their cancer will get worse. Although the targeted therapy can kill the sensitive cells, over time the resistant ones grow through. However, if treatment breaks are given, it is thought that the growth of these resistant cells can be suppressed by the sensitive cells. “This blood test enables us to develop a new approach to overcome resistance to targeted therapy treatment. It could be a real game-changer in how we treat melanoma and other patients with cancer undergoing similar treatments in the future.”

“My focus is on purposeful engagement – from arts and crafts to relaxation exercises or just sitting and talking. Whatever is meaningful for the patient in that moment.” Ivan Cobham is the first dedicated activity co-ordinator at The Christie. He works mainly on our inpatient wards, but also offers personalised support to other patients across the hospital. While the focus is on those with cognitive impairment or delirium, Ivan supports anyone who may benefit from therapeutic activities, companionship, or emotional support. With over two decades of experience in care, he is actively developing the post with a strong focus on person-centred care. “I provide an added blanket of support, helping to reduce anxiety and promote cognitive function,” he adds. Together, #WeAreTheChristie #CancerCare #Cancer #TheChristie