A MAN “at death’s door” after running out of treatment options for leukaemia became the second person in the world to be offered an experimental cancer drug that eradicated traces of the disease in months.
Joe Murphy, from Hulme, Greater Manchester, was given the chance to participate in a clinical trial after his blood cancer treatment stopped working.
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He was given a drug referred to as NX-5948.
It’s so new it doesn’t have a proper name, but it aims to treat patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) whose cancer has stopped responding to treatment or had returned.
It’s not uncommon for CLL to become resistant to current treatments available, but the experimental drug could resolve this problem.
Developed by Nurix Therapeutics, the NX-5948 is part of a new class of blood cancer treatments called ‘degraders’, getting rid of a protein in cells responsible for driving cancer growth.
The former bar manager, 59, started taking the drug in June 2023 and his latest test results show no traces of cancer in his blood.
Joe, originally from Seaforth in Merseyside, said: “I was at death’s door six months ago with no options left.
“Mentally I wasn’t in a good place. It’s been very tough, and if it wasn’t for this clinical trial I wouldn’t be here.”
He described NX-5948 as “incredible” and “something out of a sci-fi movie”, keeping his “alive and well since June last year”.
“It’s been a very difficult nine years, but I can now look to the future and plan to celebrate my 60th birthday in December,” Joe added.
OUT OF OPTIONS
He first became unwell in May 2015 at age 50 and was admitted to hospital with pneumonia.
There, he was given the devastating news that he had chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) and needed an urgent bone marrow transplant.
CLL is a type of cancer that affects the blood and bone marrow, tending to develop very slowly.
Bone marrow is the soft, inner part of the bones, which makes blood cells.
Joe was referred to The Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester, but doctors were unable to find a bone marrow match for the former bar manager.
What are the symptoms of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL)?
MANY people with CLL won’t have symptoms at all and the cancer is often spotted in a routine blood test.
Symptoms can be vague, starting off mild and getting worse with time.
CLL may cause:
- Swollen lymph nodes in the neck or under the arms, and abdominal discomfort from an enlarged spleen (an organ just under your ribs)
- Weight loss even if you’re eating normally, as CLL uses up energy that your body would otherwise use up or store
- Infections that don’t get better, due to abnormal white blood cells not being able to fight off infection as well as healthy ones
- Tiredness, even if you’re getting enough sleep
- Anaemia, as the lack of space in the bone marrow interferes with the production of red blood cell that normally help to carry oxygen around the body – you may feel breathless and tired
- Unexplained bleeding or bruising or unusually heavy periods
- Bone pain and night sweats
Source: Cancer Research UK
Instead, he was prescribed a series of drugs to treat his cancer and went into remission for five years.
But Joe’s body became resistant to his treatment in April 2023, rapidly losing a whopping three stone as the drugs stopped working.
As his immune system was very weak, Joe developed a bacterial infection, sepsis and even contracted meningitis, having to be hospitalised several times.
It was then discovered that the cancer had spread to his spinal fluid and brain, further blighting his chances of survival.
‘SUCH A RELIEF’
Out of options, Joe enrolled in a early clinical trial of NX-5658 for treating CLL at the Christie.
He began by taking one capsule a day but has upped his dose since the start of the trial, now taking six pills daily.
The former bar manager said he feels fit and healthy, visiting his doctor monthly and having scans on a three-monthly basis.
How does NX-5948 work?
NX-5948 is so new it doesn’t yet have a name.
It’s formulated by Nurix Therapeutics to treat chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) in patients whose disease has come back after previous treatment or whose cancer is no longer responding to other drugs.
The pill is part of a new class of blood cancer treatments called ‘degraders’, which getting rid of a protein in cells responsible for driving cancer growth.
It does this by putting the protein in the cell’s “dustbin”, known as the proteasome, which removes damaged or unneeded proteins.
NX-5948 is going through clinical trials at the National Institute for Health and Care Research Manchester Clinical Research Facility at The Christie.
His latest blood tests found no evidence of CLL.
“I’m putting weight back on, my blood count is fine, my lymph nodes have shrunk back to near normal, and it’s worked successfully in getting rid of the cancer in my brain, which is such a relief,” Joe said.
While doctors don’t know how long it might keep the disease at bay, Joe says he is now “hopeful” and can look forward to celebrating his 60th birthday.
‘VERY PROMISING’
According to Dr Emma Searle, consultant haematologist at The Christie, the success of Joe’s treatment heralds hope for other people with CLL.
“This might be the breakthrough we’ve been looking for in the treatment of CLL,” she said.
“The drug targets a pathway that CLL cells are particularly dependent on and basically blows it up.
“As doctors, we’re excited because we’re seeing a response, even at a low dose, in patients who’ve exhausted all of the standard care options and are very difficult to treat.
“To already see some of our patients like Joe responding so well to the treatment, with minimal side-effects, is very promising.
“Only time will tell whether this makes it to market, but it’s about as promising as an early-phase study gets.”
It comes after scientists revealed they were onto a “promising” new treatment for acute myeloid leukaemia that can can knock out oxygen sensors that the cancer cells use to survive and multiply.
CLL accounts for 38 per cent of all leukaemia cases and is the most common leukaemia diagnosed in adults.
Over 3,803 Brits are diagnosed with the cancer every year – 40 per cent of all new CLL cases are found in people aged 75 or older.