‘I’m a cancer super survivor and this was my one thought when I was given months to live’

Katherine Webster (Image: CUH)

A pistillate who is surviving her beingness to the afloat 5 years aft being diagnosed with an assertive brain tumour has revealed her defiant one-word effect aft being told she had conscionable months to live.

Katherine Webster, 52, was diagnosed with Glioblastoma successful March 2020, aft suffering a seizure connected a train. Glioblastomas are the astir communal benignant of malignant brain tumour successful adults. They're besides known to beryllium fast-moving, and tin onslaught astatine immoderate age.

According to The Brain Tumour Charity, 25% of patients surive much than a year, and lone 5% of patients past much than 5 years.

Speaking to Sky News, Ms Webster said: "They told maine I had months to live, but due to the fact that I'm specified a affirmative person, I thought: "No, I'm not having that!"

"I retrieve my parents looking truly miserable, arsenic you would bash if you'd been told your girl has lone months to live.

Dr Thankamma Ajithkumar (Image: CUH)

"I conscionable retrieve coming retired of the country and saying, 'I'm going to combat this'," she added.

She underwent surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy astatine Addenbrooke's Hospital, and has since gone into remission.

Ms Webster suffers from immoderate representation nonaccomplishment and has done physiotherapy to assistance rehabilitate her right-hand side, but different describes herself arsenic doing “remarkably well”, Cambridge University Hospital said successful a press release.

Her body's beardown effect to attraction is present of involvement to researchers, and successful March she volition beryllium invited to instrumentality portion successful the Rosalind study, a proceedings looking to recognize what biologic factors whitethorn lend to semipermanent cancer survival.

The UK signifier of the planetary survey is being co-ordinated by Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

Eight UK hospitals are joining others astir the satellite looking to place the tiny percent of cancer patients, similar Ms Webster, who bushed the likelihood and past years aft being diagnosed.

The survey is focussing connected the 3 astir assertive and deadly cancers, small-cell lung cancer, precocious pancreatic crab and glioblastoma.

Researchers mean to cod tumour samples from implicit 1,000 patients among the apical 3 per cent successful presumption of cancer survival.

The samples volition beryllium analysed by French techbio institution heading up the study, supported by Sofinnova, hoping to find caller therapeutic targets connected which to basal caller treatments.

Consultant objective oncologist astatine Addenbrooke’s and main researcher for the UK limb of the study, Dr Thankamma Ajithkumar said: "Rather than focusing connected wherefore crab patients bash not survive, this survey seeks to recognize what it is that makes them live.

"By investigating the biology of this elite radical of super-survivors, the survey aims to observe insights that could perchance payment and amended outcomes for each patients."