Falkirk man has a dodgy steak pie to thank for saving his life

William Dunnachie, who lives in Redding, was one of the patients at Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre taking part in the clinical trial for Pembrolizumab, a specially designed immune-stimulating drug which helps minimise the chances of kidney cancer recurring.

Now cancer free five years on, William said: “I just feel extremely lucky. If I hadn’t bought that steak pie, I might not be here today. You could say it helped save my life. But the team at The Beatson have been fantastic throughout my experience, and I was delighted to be able to give something back by participating in the trial.”

His kidney cancer diagnosis was only identified after he was admitted to Forth Valley Royal Hospital with suspected food poisoning from a steak pie supper from a takeaway.

As surgeons performed emergency surgery on his gallbladder – which can react to certain high-fat and processed foods – eagle-eyed consultants spotted abnormalities on William’s kidney.

Following a referral, William was quickly operated on at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow and both the gallbladder and kidney were removed.

After surgery, William jumped at the opportunity to be admitted to the Keynote-564 trial, which involved a 12-month course of a drug designed to prevent the recurrence of kidney cancer.

This week, thanks to volunteers like William, the drug has now been officially approved for use by the Scottish Medicines Consortium and up to 100 people in Scotland will benefit from it each year.

William said: “Now it’s been approved, it’s humbling to know it will help potentially thousands of people in the future.”

Dr Balaji Venugopal, consultant in medical oncology at the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre, said: “Many patients who have a cancerous kidney removed at surgery will be cured, but, in some, the cancer will recur, and it may spread to other parts of the body.

"The Keynote 564 trial has shown that patients who receive an immune-stimulating drug called pembrolizumab for a year after surgery have a significantly lower risk of recurrence.

"This is the first time an immune-stimulating drug has been shown to do this. A team of dedicated patients and staff at The Beatson took part in this trial, which was conducted all over the world, and the results of the trial are promising for our patients.

"It is exciting to note that Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) has now approved pembrolizumab to be available to all patients in this situation in NHS Scotland.”

For retired labourer William, the removal of the cancerous kidney and participation in the programme has given him a new lease of life.

"He said: “I’m just here to enjoy myself now, and take everything day by day. While I’m thankful the cancer was spotted thanks to a steak pie, I’m not sure I’ll be eating anymore any time soon."