David Butler, 77, a retired sales development manager from Southmoor in Oxfordshire, was one of the 23 men who took part in the ProMOTE study. A chance conversation with his GP turned into a shock diagnosis of prostate cancer in November 2018.
“I had literally no symptoms apart from needing to pee more quickly whenever I did go to the toilet,” David said. “Had I not told my GP about it, I might not have caught my cancer until it was much further down the line.
“Very strangely, I was relaxed about the diagnosis. I had a sense that the consultant was going to tell me it was bad news – so I wanted to be positive and face up to it. I think the staff thought I was taking it extremely well!
“I had several biopsies and scans but one scan – the Prostate-Specific Membrane Antigen (PSMA) PET scan – revealed that the cancer was starting to spread from the prostate. It was in the lymph nodes. It was in loads of places near to the prostate. That information proved vital to the doctors to get the cancer treated quickly.”
The new dye and targeting molecule combination also attaches to PSMA. Surgeons used it to guide David’s radical prostatectomy, which also removed several lymph nodes and other cancerous tissues, in January 2019.
David’s road to recovery was rocky, as he suffered a stroke shortly after the surgery, due to an unrelated heart condition. Five years on, he is fully recovered and has no signs of cancer.
“If you’re not positive, life will come up and bite you, so you’ve got to enjoy every moment. I’ve been told I don’t look my age which is a great compliment!
“I am a very lucky man to have had the life I’ve had. I’ve dealt with a lot health-wise but I’ve had excellent treatment too.
“I retired early to make the most of life’s pleasures – gardening, playing bowls and walking. Taking part in the ProMOTE study has allowed me to have many more of those pleasures for years to come.”
