Smarter, kinder treatments mean I’m still here, says oncologist with incurable cancer
One of the UK’s most senior radiotherapy experts has spoken publicly for the first time about living with incurable cancer.
Professor Adrian Crellin CBE, who was diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer in 2016, is sharing his story on World Cancer Day 2025. This year’s theme, ‘united by unique’, places people at the centre of care and their stories at the heart of the conversation.
Professor Crellin, who was awarded a CBE for services to radiotherapy in 2019, is a Consultant Clinical Oncologist at the University of Leeds and Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, and holds a senior role with NHS England and previously in Cancer Research UK.
He says people like him are living much longer thanks to research advances – and he now wants to start a conversation about the way we describe life with incurable cancer.
He said: “Being diagnosed with prostate cancer was a major shock, and finding out that it was incurable was devastating. But as I came to terms with the diagnosis, my outlook changed. My cancer cannot be cured, but it can’t be described as ‘terminal’ because that means my cancer would no longer be responsive to treatment. In fact, I have received chemotherapy, radiotherapy and hormone treatment, and the type of radiotherapy I had has controlled the areas of spread and helped to keep the primary tumour under control. The proof of the pudding – I am still here.”
Typical treatment for metastatic prostate cancer is hormone therapy and chemotherapy, the aim of which is to kill cancer cells wherever they occur in the body. Radiotherapy, which targets radiation at cancer sites to kill cells and shrink tumours, has traditionally been used to manage pain in areas of spread when it occurs.
However, newer, more precise types of radiotherapy, which deliver high doses to the tumour and cause less harm to surrounding tissues, can also be used to treat the primary tumour and areas of spread, with minimal side effects. This helps control the spread of the disease, keeping patients alive for longer and with fewer long-lasting effects.
A recent UK-wide trial showed that using radiotherapy to treat prostate cancer tumours with low levels of spread in this way helped improve survival and quality of life, and has changed the way prostate cancer is treated around the world. Patients from Leeds took part in the trial, and were treated by the team at the Cancer Research UK Leeds Radiation Research Centre of Excellence (CRUK RadNet Leeds).
The centre of excellence was recently awarded £2.9m by CRUK, supported by an additional £5.6m from the University of Leeds, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Leeds Hospitals Charity and industry partners, to continue its world-class radiotherapy research over the next five years.
CRUK RadNet Leeds set out its research vision at a launch event in January, where Professor Crellin gave a talk about his experiences as both a clinician and cancer patient.
Professor Crellin said: “Stereotactic radiotherapy focuses high dose x-ray beams on very small areas with huge accuracy. This increases the treatment’s safety and gets the cancer under control, rather than just making the pain go away. It can control the disease, and that has extended my life - and protected my quality of life. After treatment on some areas of spread, my scans and tests have gone back to normal and I am still here eight years later.”
Professor Crellin was awarded the CBE for services to radiotherapy in the 2019 Queen’s Birthday Honours, three years after his diagnosis. Among the achievements which led to his award was being instrumental in the creation of the £250m Bexley Wing at St James’s Hospital, a state-of-the-art cancer centre which replaced the Victorian-era Cookridge Hospital and opened in 2008. The Bexley Wing is home to Leeds Cancer Centre, where patients across the county – including Professor Crellin himself – are treated and cared for.
He said: “Receiving treatment in an environment I helped to create is a very emotional experience. It is also very reassuring, because I have incredible confidence in my colleagues – they are fantastic.
“The best way of rolling out new treatments is through clinical trials and research. The treatments that I have access to are the result of the wonderful research partnerships we have across Leeds, between the University of Leeds and Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, and funding from CRUK, Leeds Hospitals Charity and Yorkshire Cancer Research.”
Radiotherapy in Leeds
Philanthropic and charitable support from the Audrey and Stanley Burton Charitable Trust and local charities have been instrumental in supporting the progress and expansion of radiotherapy research in Leeds over the last two decades. This laid the foundations for the successful award of the Leeds Cancer Research UK Radiation Research Centre of Excellence (CRUK RadNet Leeds) in 2019, and the following CRUK award in 2024.
Future research will combine the outstanding expertise and facilities at the University in cancer biology, including the Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, imaging, pathology, physics, artificial intelligence, data science and clinical trials to improve the understanding of how radiation affects cancer cells.
This will enable scientists to more accurately predict how tumours will respond to radiotherapy, which is used in four out of ten people who are cured of cancer. It is hoped that this will accelerate progress to deliver smarter and kinder radiotherapy treatments that are personalised to the patient and their tumour.
Professor David Sebag-Montefiore, Audrey and Stanley Burton Professor of Oncology and Director of CRUK RadNet Leeds, said: “We are hugely grateful to Adrian for sharing his incredible story. His personal experience really shines a light on the crucially important role that radiotherapy treatment plays in helping patients with prostate cancer live longer and in protecting their quality of life.
“At Leeds, a major focus of our research is to better understand the biology of the tumour, and develop smarter, kinder radiotherapy treatments, with the aim of giving each patient the most effective treatment with least side effects.”
Mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin said: "Innovation like this is crucial to continue to improve people’s lives, and I am immensely proud that this is happening here in West Yorkshire.
“Professor Crellin’s story is one of hope - he is just one of many who will benefit from more research, funding and better treatments.
“Working with partners we’re putting innovation at the heart of our plans to improve healthcare in our region, and together, we will help more people live longer, healthier lives in a stronger, brighter West Yorkshire that works for all.”
Professor Crellin says that research is helping people live for longer – meaning we need to think about how living with incurable disease is talked about.
He said: “We need to change the language of disease and survival. ‘Terminal’ and ‘incurable’ mean different things. ‘Terminal’ means the cancer can no longer be treated and care becomes palliative, which is about providing relief from symptoms. However, this is not the reality for very many people whose cancer is incurable. It becomes about managing a longer-term health condition.
“Many people are living longer with their cancer under control – so reducing side effects and improving quality of life should be a very high priority.”
Further information
Top image: Professor Adrian Crellin with a state-of-the art linear accelerator (Linac) radiotherapy machine at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. Credit: University of Leeds.
Group image: (L-R) Peter Enever (Head of Radiotherapy at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust), Professor Ann Henry (Professor in Clinical Oncology at the University of Leeds and Honorary Consultant Clinical Oncologist at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust), Professor Adrian Crellin and Professor David Sebag-Montefiore with a state-of-the art linear accelerator (LINAC) radiotherapy machine at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. Credit: University of Leeds.
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