Sophie Busson had only been married for 16 months when she found a large lump in her breast. As she was only 31, her doctors said it was unlikely to be cancerous, but following extensive tests their worst fears were confirmed.
Six sessions of chemotherapy soon followed, as well as a left-side mastectomy and 15 sessions of radiotherapy. The mum-of-two also had further surgery for cancer in her lymph nodes.
"It was a huge shock when I heard the words 'you have cancer'. I was terrified I wouldn't be around to see my children grow up," recalled Sophie, who was diagnosed in 2017.
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As the tumour was hormone-receptive, Sophie was put on a 10-year course of Tamoxifen, a life-saving hormone therapy drug for breast cancer in both men and women. It began as an accidental discovery in the 1960s by scientists at a pharmaceutical company who were looking for a new emergency contraceptive.
After its development, scientists at Cancer Research UK helped prove the drug's effectiveness, paving the way for its widespread use. Tamoxifen is now a mainstay treatment for premenopausal women with hormone-positive breast cancer.
Cancer Research UK, which is marking its 20th anniversary, has also funded work proving the benefit of Tamoxifen in preventing breast cancer in high-risk women. Now, 88% of women diagnosed with breast cancer in Wales will survive their disease at least five years.
Sophie, from Newport, has now been free of cancer for five years and she wants to share her story so more women can have their lives saved. She said: "For me, it was important to know that Cancer Research UK helped fund the development of Tamoxifen, because that in turn gave me the confidence to take this drug. Knowing it has been tested and approved by the charity eased a lot of my questions and anxiety.
"Cancer Research UK reaching 20 is amazing and we need to support the charity to achieve more incredible results from future research that could help give hope to many more families like mine."
After recovering from cancer, Sophie felt inspired to help others affected by the disease by becoming a fundraising manager for Cancer Research UK. "I know at first hand how important research is and it's wonderful that I have the opportunity in my role to support Cancer Research UK's vital work," she said.
"I am now over five years post-treatment, and although I was warned when my treatment ended that I was at a high risk of reoccurrence, to date I have remained cancer-free with the help of Tamoxifen, which I'll be on for around 10 years.
"I am an extremely positive person with a very optimistic view of the future, and I am always keen to share my story to inspire and motivate others to raise awareness of early detection and the importance of raising funds to support vital research. Monthly progress needs monthly donations."
Cancer death rates overall in Wales have decreased by 14% since 2002, when Cancer Research UK was founded. The charity said that in the early 2000s, around 315 in every 100,000 people died from cancer each year in Wales – today it's around 270. Some cancers have seen larger decreases in death rates, such as cervical cancer (down by 25%) and lung cancer (down by 16%).
There are many reasons why death rates have fallen, including improvements to screening programmes which help spot cancer sooner, research into more effective and kinder treatments, and strategies which help prevent cancer from happening in the first place.
For example, lung cancer death rates have decreased because survival has more than doubled, meaning people are living with cancer for longer. In the mid-2000s around 8% of people with lung cancer in Wales survived their disease for at least five years, now it’s 17%. This progress is thanks in part to Cancer Research UK-funded research into early diagnosis and treatment.
This work continues today in Cardiff, where researchers are supporting the largest lung cancer trial in the world – the Stratified Medicine Programme. They are responsible for the genetic sequencing of patients, so that they might receive the best personalised treatment based on their genetic make-up.
Cervical cancer death rates in Wales have reduced by a quarter and are hoped to fall even more sharply for future generations thanks to improved screening programmes and the rollout of the HPV vaccine, both of which the charity helped develop. A study last year estimated that the HPV vaccine dramatically reduces cervical cancer incidence rates by almost 90% in women in their 20s who were offered it at age 12-13.
Cancer Research UK’s chief executive Michelle Mitchell said: “It’s wonderful to see the impact that the last 20 years of Cancer Research UK’s work is having on people affected by cancer in Wales. From developing life-saving drugs to influencing policy, every penny of money donated has helped to revolutionise what we know about cancer and saved many lives.
“Despite these hard-fought gains there is still a long way to go. Cancer waiting-time targets are continually missed and Wales lags behind comparable countries when it comes to cancer survival. By making cancer a priority with the new cancer action plan, the Welsh Government can help us build upon the amazing work of the last 20 years. Together, we can achieve our goal of beating cancer.”
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