A DAD-OF-TWO hit with a shock advanced melanoma diagnosis at Christmas, has welcomed a groundbreaking research project that could revolutionise how the disease is detected and treated.
Steve Ballantyne, 47, from Macclesfield was given the devastating news that he had stage three melanoma – the most dangerous form of skin cancer – after discovering a lump under his arm in December 2023.
He underwent surgery at The Christie Hospital, but doctors couldn’t identify the primary melanoma site. Steve then signed up to a clinical trial, part funded by Cancer Research UK, where he received 12 months of personalised immunotherapy and thankfully his most recent scan showed no evidence of disease.
Now, Steve is backing a £1.5 million melanoma research programme funded by a major grant from Cancer Research UK, which will be led by Dr Kerrie Marie at The University of Manchester.
The ambitious study will explore how melanoma adapts and spreads throughout the body. Using cutting-edge gene-editing and imaging technologies, Dr Marie’s team will track how melanoma cells change their identity to survive in new environments, such as the lungs, with the ultimate goal of stopping the disease before it spreads and becomes harder to treat.
Steve, a purchasing manager who lives in Macclesfield with his wife Julia and daughters Rachel, 23, and Lucy, 18, said the diagnosis was life-changing.
He said: “I have never really been ill previously so when I was diagnosed with melanoma it came as a huge shock. Initially the effect on my family was the hardest to deal with. Having to tell them and the rest of my family was hard.
“My experience has certainly made me realise how many people have been affected by cancer. It has also made me re-evaluate my priorities and what is important in life. I recently completed my treatment plan and now I am having three-month reviews and scans. Touch wood the latest scan was clear, and I will be continued to be monitored.
“I think research is imperative. The sooner you are diagnosed the better chances you have. If this research can lead to better treatment or earlier detection, it’ll hopefully help people like me in the future.”
Melanoma is the UK’s fifth most common cancer*. In the North West region alone, 40 people are diagnosed with the disease each week — more than 2,200 every year** — and around 270 people die from it annually***.
Dr Marie said: Melanoma is highly aggressive, due to its ability to “shape-shift”, enabling cancer cells to resist treatment, and spread to new parts of the body, which can be fatal. As part of this research, we will explore new methods for detecting lung metastases (spread) to understand how melanoma cells rewire themselves to survive in new environments. If we can map those changes and discover what controls them, we may be able to stop the disease much earlier and develop therapies that prevent it from spreading.”
The new investment builds on nearly 100 years of Cancer Research UK discoveries in skin cancer, including early findings that linked UV radiation exposure and skin cancer.
This summer, the charity has partnered with NIVEA Sun to offer advice on enjoying the sun safely.
When the sun is strong, they recommend people:
- Spend time in the shade, especially between 11am and 3pm in the UK.
- Cover up with clothes, a wide-brimmed hat and UV-protection sunglasses.
- Apply sunscreen with at least SPF 30 and 4 or 5 stars generously and regularly.
Executive Director of Research and Innovation at Cancer Research UK, Dr Iain Foulkes, said:
“This latest investment builds on decades of research helping us to learn more about how skin cancer starts and spreads, pioneering new ways to prevent, detect and treat the disease. Cancer Research UK is passionate about funding research that furthers our knowledge of what cancer does to the biology of our bodies, in addition to research that focuses on what’s happening in the clinic. Understanding how cancer spreads is key to finding better treatments. This project is an important step forward and could improve outcomes for people diagnosed with melanoma in the future.”
For more advice or to support skin cancer research, visit cruk.org/sunsafety.
