Patient on CTC study speaks about bowel cancer treatment success

01 June 2026

A patient taking part in a CTC-led clinical trial has spoken to the BBC after study treatment saw his bowel cancer 'melt away'.

Chris Burton, 73, from Dorset, spoke to the BBC this week. His full story can be read here.

All 32 patients who took part in the NEOPRISM-CRC trial have seen no return of their disease, three years after receiving the study treatment of immunotherapy before surgery.

The trial tested a short course of the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab in patients with stage 2 or 3 bowel cancer with a particular genetic profile. Given standard treatment, around one in four patients would normally see their cancer return. The study protocol removes the need for chemotherapy, and could mark a significant shift in how some bowel cancers are treated.

Image credit: Ulrika, iStock

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