Running the London Marathon for research at The Royal Marsden

Jo – a marathon-enthusiast and patient on the TRAK-ER clinical research trial – shares her story and reasons for supporting The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity.

13 June

“I had found lumps in my breasts in the past, but after investigation by my local breast clinic, these lumps always just turned out to be cysts. Therefore, I wasn’t initially concerned when I felt another lump – it felt the same as all the other times, round and smooth.”

“When it didn’t go away after a couple of weeks, I was referred to have a mammogram, ultrasound, and a biopsy. Following these tests, I was diagnosed with lobular breast cancer, which was a complete shock. I was a fit and healthy 39-year-old. I felt numb at first and it wasn’t until we left the hospital that it really hit me, and I broke down in tears.”

“I had a mastectomy and two lymph nodes removed at my local hospital. I also had an Oncotype DX test done, which predicts recurrence and the benefit of having chemotherapy. The test returned an encouraging result – I was given a low-risk score of recurrence, low-risk score for distant recurrence and a chemotherapy benefit of less than 1%. So, I decided to have radiotherapy treatment.”

Joining the TRAK-ER trial at The Royal Marsden

“After my treatment, I went to a creative writing workshop in London which was being run by a Lobular Breast Cancer Support group. I met a woman who told me she was part of the TRAK-ER trial at The Royal Marsden and she goes for regular blood tests as part of her monitoring. I did some research to see if I would qualify to join.”

The TRAK-ER trial – supported by funding from The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity – uses personalised blood tests to try and determine which breast cancer patients will relapse, before it’s shown on a scan.

“When I first heard about TRAK-ER, I thought what an incredible opportunity to have this type of surveillance every three months – a way to keep my mind at ease. I never in a million years would have thought the first blood test I had on this trial would result in a positive result – showing I still had cancer in my system. The TRAK-ER team called me with my results and I couldn’t believe it, it felt like being diagnosed with cancer all over again.”

Selfie of Jo with trees and a lake behind her

“We discussed going onto the treatment phase of the TRAK-ER trial. I was randomised to the palbociclib and fulvestrant treatment, which is targeted therapy – it stops the cells from being able to grow and divide. Hopefully, if the cells aren’t able to grow and divide, they’ll die, which means the cancer won’t come back. If I hadn’t have been introduced to the TRAK-ER trial, I could’ve been in a position in a couple of years’ time where the cancer would have come back and not been caught at an early stage.”

“I’m on this treatment for two years and I have CT scans every six months. I feel so fortunate to have this opportunity. I know that The Royal Marsden is one of the top cancer hospitals in the world and I feel honoured to be a patient there. Professor Nick Turner and his team are so great, they’re so friendly and supportive. They make me feel really comfortable.”

Running the London Marathon for The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity

“I found out more about The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity once I became a Royal Marsden patient. It was great to hear that Charity funding supports the clinical trial I’m on, this made my motivations to do the London Marathon 2024 even more special.”

“The day of the London Marathon 2024 marked – almost to the day – the two-year anniversary of my diagnosis. I’m a big fan of endurance sports and absolutely love running Marathons. In total I’ve done 63! I even ran a marathon on day two of my radiotherapy – in the morning before I went in for treatment. All my medical teams think I’m absolutely bonkers!”

Jo raised over £3,800 for The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity by running the London Marathon.

“Whilst I was running, the support on the course was like nothing else. I've done marathons before but it's not been the same. Everybody is there and cheering you on and calling out your name – it's really great. The atmosphere was amazing."

“After the race, I came back to the hotel with the Charity team and other runners and had a nice massage, so I felt very revitalised. There was also food and biscuits and chocolates and all that good stuff you’re craving after a Marathon!"

“Knowing that The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity is funding research is so reassuring. Research is so important. It wasn't until I had cancer that I fully understood the importance of research, as I was directly affected by it."

"Research gives me hope that people might not have to go through a cancer diagnosis at a later stage, that early detection can pick things up before it gets to the stage where it’s life threatening.”