The Christie Charity
Press release posted 17 February 2025
David Mather (81), a retired company director from Hale in Greater Manchester is one of the first patients in the world to be recruited to the largest clinical trial using radiotherapy to treat lung cancer that has spread.
TOURIST is the first trial in 20 years to look at how radiotherapy could benefit late-stage metastatic lung cancer patients and could change global clinical practice for treating advanced lung cancer.
The grandfather of 6, who is married to Iwona, was diagnosed with stage 4 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in October 2024 after going to his GP because he was wheezing and felt very tired. He was referred to The Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester and began a course of immunotherapy, which is a type of drug that uses the body’s own immune system to fight the cancer.
As the disease was at an advanced stage and had spread to his bones, he was eligible for the study which aims to recruit 1,000 patients.
The clinical trial uses a technique called ‘VMAT’ (volumetric modulated arc therapy) which is a form of radiotherapy that uses multiple beams of varying strengths to treat cancer. A device called a linear accelerator (LINAC) delivers high-energy beams while rotating around the patient to treat the tumours. Giving the radiotherapy in this way makes it very accurate, shortens the treatment time, and uses a lower overall dose of radiation. It means more cancer cells can be killed while also sparing healthy tissue around the organ. Previously this machine has only been used to treat patients with early-stage cancer that has not spread.
This study is being sponsored by The Christie and managed by Southampton Clinical Trials Unit. This research is made possible thanks to a £3.4 million grant from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).
Christie patient, David Mather said: “I’ve been very healthy all my life, so I consider myself lucky to have got to my age without anything serious. When I was offered the opportunity to participate in the trial, I was very happy to do so. If having radiotherapy improves my prognosis and quality of life, and reduces the symptoms, then that will be fantastic. I also hope that by participating in this trial I play a part in helping others in the future.”
Dr David Woolf, consultant oncologist at The Christie, who is the joint chief investigator for the TOURIST trial explained: “By using this newer technology alongside standard immunotherapy or chemotherapy, we hope we can change the face of lung cancer treatment. We have identified an unmet need, and the aim is to use the evidence we gather from the study to change clinical practice worldwide. Potentially this could help up to a million people a year across the globe, which is tremendously exciting.”
Professor Matthew Hatton, Honorary Professor of Clinical Oncology at The University of Sheffield, who is joint chief investigator for the TOURIST trial said: “This is a very inclusive trial and most people with stage 4 NSCLC lung cancer are eligible. David has recently turned 81 years old, so you could think his age might exclude him from taking part in research, but certainly not in this case. We believe this treatment could be of additional benefit to all late-stage lung cancer patients, who often have a poor prognosis and typically about a year to live. The focus of the study is to extend and improve the quality of life of patients increasing the number of longer-term lung cancer survivors.”
NSCLC accounts for 85 to 90% of all lung cancer cases worldwide with 70% of patients diagnosed at stage 4 of the disease and 1.2m deaths globally each year.
Nicky Downs, Senior Trial Manager for the TOURIST trial at the Southampton Clinical Trials Unit, said: “It’s fantastic to see the first patients being recruited into TOURIST. Clinical trials rely on people, like David, volunteering to be part of research and we are so grateful to him and everyone who signs up to the trial. Their participation will help us create the evidence which could lead to improved quality of life, and potentially better treatments, for more lung cancer patients in the future.”
Public Health and Prevention Minister, Ashley Dalton, said: "I'd like to thank David and everyone else involved in this trial for bringing us one step closer to tackling cancer.
"With record numbers of people diagnosed with cancer, it is vital that we develop and test cutting-edge technologies like this to find newer, better ways of treating this disease.
“We are working to combine the ingenuity of our world-leading life sciences industry together with the compassion of our National Health Service, to save more lives from cancer.”
Lung cancer is the biggest cancer killer in the UK, accounting for 21% of cancer deaths annually. Approximately half of NSCLC lung cancer patients (44%) in the UK present with incurable stage 4 disease, meaning treatment focuses on controlling symptoms and extending life, rather than curing.
Any patient with stage 4 NSCLC who would be interested in taking part in the TOURIST trial should discuss it with their local oncologist.
Any patients interested in taking part in any research at The Christie should discuss this option with their consultant. Not all patients will fit the criteria for a specific trial. While clinical trials can be successful for some patients, outcomes can vary from case to case. More information about taking part in clinical trials can be found on our taking part in studies and trials page.