Kevin Mortimer received triplet therapy – a new way of treating prostate cancer using three different treatments at once
Men diagnosed with incurable advanced prostate cancer are living longer, according to new data.
The National Prostate Cancer Audit found that significantly fewer men with advanced disease are dying within three years of diagnosis compared to a decade ago.
Kevin Mortimer, a father from Liverpool, is one patient who has been told his cancer is now “undetectable” three years after he was given a terminal diagnosis.
Mr Mortimer, 51, was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer on his daughter’s 11th birthday. Doctors told him the cancer had spread to his bones and lungs, and that his case was “terminal”.
He said that telling his 11-year-old daughter about his diagnosis was “one of the most difficult things I have ever had to do”.
Three years on, his cancer is “undetectable” after a triple-pronged attack on the disease.
The treatment he received was triplet therapy, a new way of treating prostate cancer using three different treatments at once.
“Sitting with my 11-year-old daughter and the toy elephant she has had since she was a baby, to tell her that I had terminal cancer, was one of the most difficult things I have ever had to do,” Mr Mortimer said.
“Now, I’ve been able to celebrate two more of her birthdays and we’re looking forward to Christmas, all thanks to the innovative treatment I received.
“Although I know I am a ‘super responder’ and not all men in my position would have had the same outcome, I’m living proof of how far treatments for prostate cancer have come in the past few years thanks to investment, innovation and cutting-edge science.”
He added: “While there has been real progress over recent years, I’ll soon be in the minority of men to have lived so long after an incurable prostate cancer diagnosis and it’s a sobering reminder that behind every statistic is a man and his family facing a difficult future.
“It makes me all the more determined to do what I can to support research and I hope my story can give hope to other men diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer and inspire researchers to keep pushing the boundaries of what’s possible to improve and extend the lives of men with this diagnosis.
“I look forward to a time when living beyond three years with advanced prostate cancer is no longer something remarkable, but something every man with this diagnosis can reasonably expect.”
Prostate cancer usually starts to grow on the outer part of the prostate. If this happens, it can cause changes to the way you pee, such as: