'I took a leap of faith with anal cancer clinical trial and now I have the all-clear'

Sam found out she had anal cancer in 2019. The mum-of-two says: “I first went to see my GP after experiencing bleeding and was sent for a colonoscopy which came back clear. But after some weeks, the symptoms persisted and I developed what I thought was hemorrhoids, and I initially tried to treat it myself.

“When that didn’t help, I sought medical advice and was sent for further examination under a general anaesthetic. A few days later I was asked to come into hospital to discuss the results and to my utter shock I was told I had anal cancer. Fortunately, they believed it was very treatable as it was still in an early stage.”

After breaking the news to her sons, Sam “went into action” and began treatment. She says: “I never thought it was going to be cancer, but once I’d gone through the heartbreaking part of telling my family, I was ready to get on with treatment and do whatever needed to be done.”

Sam, who now lives in the Alicante region of Spain, was invited to take part in PLATO, a clinical trial funded by £1.94million from Stand Up To Cancer for Cancer Research UK (CRUK). Chemoradiotherapy treatment for anal cancer has remained largely unchanged for the last 30-years, with a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach. Current treatment delivers a standard dose of radiotherapy combined with chemotherapy over five and a half weeks.

PLATO is made up of three clinical trials and is led by Professor David Sebag-Montefiore and the Leeds CRUK Clinical Trials Unit at the University of Leeds. The aim of one of the trials was to establish whether a lower dose and shorter course of radiotherapy combined with chemotherapy over four and half weeks could still achieve the same high rate of local eradication of the cancer as traditional treatment, whilst also reducing the side effects.

The results were recently presented to cancer experts from around the world at ESTRO 2025, the largest European radiotherapy conference, and have been hailed as groundbreaking, with the potential to change clinical practice for anal cancer treatment internationally. Researchers found that the shorter, lower dose of radiotherapy resulted in a high level of complete disappearance of the cancer with fewer short term side effects.

The trial’s long-term results showed that 88 out of 100 patients were successfully treated and remained free of cancer three years later, demonstrating the success of the treatment. In the standard-dose group it was 84 out of 100. Patients also reported fewer side effects, which can include sore skin, diarrhoea, incontinence, fatigue, vaginal irritation and loss of sexual function.

Professor Sebag-Montefiore, Chief Investigator of PLATO and Clinical Director at the Leeds CRUK Clinical Trials Unit, said: “The side-effects of radiotherapy treatments have a significant impact on the lives of patients, both physically, mentally and often financially to attend appointments. The current approach for anal cancer treatments is essentially a ‘one size fits all’ where the dose of radiotherapy is similar whether the tumour being treated is very small or very large.

"The results will transform the lives of patients with early stage anal cancer by using a shorter, lower dose of radiotherapy that does not compromise cure rates and reduces the side effects of treatment.”

Sam, who after leaving the RAF worked as a Physiotherapist Assistant in the NHS, ended up receiving the standard dose of radiotherapy across five and a half weeks and the standard course of chemotherapy. She successfully completed her treatment and, in December 2024, was given the all-clear by her clinician after five years cancer-free.

She says: “When I was invited to be part of the trial I decided to take a leap of faith. Without research we can’t learn, and I put my trust in the clinical team. Knowledge is power and the results from this trial show how important it is that we all play our part. I really hope it leads to improved treatment options for people around the world who face a diagnosis like me.”