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Link to the EMBRACE Phase III Study publication in the Lancet

Transcript:

I'm Susan Stockbridge, and I've had breast cancer for 12 and a half years. The metastatic breast cancer came in six years ago.

When I was first diagnosed, I felt really sad and shocked by it, because although we always know it’s a possibility, and so many people get breast cancer, you never really think that's going to happen to yourself. I had, at the time, my two sons were 11 and 13, and I wanted to see them grow up. I wanted to be with them. I wanted to live, like we all do, and maybe I wouldn't now.

I’d been off chemotherapy for three months to recover from the previous drug and then had a PET scan last April.The results were pretty dire, really, as far as I was concerned.I had active cancer from the top of my spine right down and also in both my hips, but more importantly, in my liver I had 12 spots; one of them very active.Then, I started Eribulin and in the August I had another PET scan which showed that most of the spots on my spine had disappeared and the ones in my liver had all disappeared except that I did still have one which was quite active, but it’s a big change from the original.The blood tests have been consistently good with the tumour markers coming down from May until now. So, I’m very happy with this drug.

I started Eribulin at the beginning of May, so I’m now on my tenth cycle. I’ve had a good experience with it. With previous drugs I’ve quite often felt a little bit achy. I’ve had various reactions because everyone has a different side effect, but with Eribulin I’ve felt good. I haven’t been achy. I’ve been a bit tired, but not as tired as I have been with some other drugs. It’s been a positive experience for me. My neutrophils do fall during the course, but because I’m given a Neulasta injection once each cycle... it brings them up. So, I haven’t had any problems with my immune system.

I’ve had quite a number of drugs over the years, two of them I’ve not been able to get on the NHS and with Eribulin I was at a point where the PET scan I was pretty bad, I don’t know whether there would have been a suitable drug that would have worked as it happens, for me, Eribulin works very well and it’s given me, so far, an extra 6 months of good life. Where I’ve been active and carried on a normal lifestyle.

I’ve been fortunate in that my reactions to the drugs haven’t been as bad as other people’s are. So, I’ve been able to do things and enjoy life, but what’s been important to me is that my sons were 11 and 13 when I was first diagnosed 12 years ago. Now, they’re 24 and 26. They’ve grown up. They’ve moved on to their own lives and they’re not dependent on me anymore. That means a huge amount. Also, I’ve had time to do things with my husband just... and enjoy ourselves. Right now, on Eribulin, I’m looking forward to next year, I have got a 60th birthday coming up and it’s my nephew’s wedding in the summer. Most importantly of all, my son is going to return from Afghanistan in April and, you know, I want to be here. I want to be able to enjoy more time with my husband. He has just retired. We want to be able to go out and climb a few more mountains.