Gene-tailored drug combo halves Graham's tumour in cancer breakthrough with wider potential
Graham Caveney, diagnosed with stage-four oesophageal cancer and given about a year to live, saw his tumour shrink by half and his condition stabilise after joining an early-stage Petra trial at The Christie hospital. The trial combines a PARP inhibitor (AZD5305) with trastuzumab deruxtecan (Enhertu), and its approach fingerprints tumours by genetic mutations rather than cancer type, with early signs that the same drug combo is helping breast cancer as well. While Graham faced a rare breathing complication that led to withdrawal after a year, doctors are optimistic that this personalised, gene-focused treatment could become standard care and benefit many cancer patients across tumour types.
