Lisa Noble, a mum-of-five from Bishop Stortford, was one of the first patients to receive CAR-T therapy at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, after chemotherapy did not treat her high-grade blood cancer.
When she was 54, Lisa noticed a lump on her neck and was diagnosed with Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL). Unfortunately the two types of treatment she received at her local hospital were not successful and she was also ruled out for a stem-cell transplant.
A new specialist treatment had begun at Addenbrooke’s in February 2021, CAR-T therapy, and Lisa was referred by her doctor to Cambridge.
“It was my only option and my last hope,”
Lisa
CAR-T cell therapy is a revolutionary and cutting-edge personalised cancer treatment. It’s a type of immunotherapy that works by re-engineering or “supercharging” a patient’s own immune system, training their own immune cells known as ‘T cells’, to fight and destroy the cancer. Addenbrooke’s became the first hospital to offer the specialist therapy for patients in the East of England.
Lisa was in remission and cancer-free within two-months of having CAR-T therapy.
“It was an amazing feeling,” said Lisa.
“My daughter delayed her wedding for me, which I finally got to see. I’ve now got seven grandchildren and another on the way. I wouldn’t have been here to see them grow up if the CAR-T therapy hadn’t have worked. I now have a big family around me and it’s just incredible.”
After a lengthy recovery period, Lisa is now back enjoying her life, going on family holidays, playing golf, and feeling “just as fit”, as she was before her treatment.
“I felt unlucky at the time, but if I hadn’t failed the first two treatments, I probably wouldn’t be where I am now, or cancer-free so quickly. You just can’t put it into words. To being that close to not surviving. Having cancer just changes your whole outlook on life. It’s just amazing what new cancer technology can do.”
After hearing about plans for the new Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital, Lisa says, “Having a specialist unit, in a new dedicated cancer facility, would have made so much difference to me and my experience.”