A Cookham man is urging people to take part in NHS research ahead of World Cancer Day on Sunday after a trial drug helped him to go into remission.

Alan Chant, 70, took part in trialling a drug that has now been made available on the NHS, after he was diagnosed with myeloma and kidney cancer.

Myeloma is a type of cancer that causes plasma blood cells inside the bone marrow to expand, damaging the bones and affecting the production of healthy blood cells.

He was 63 when he was diagnosed.

The father-of-one, who was initially being treated for the cancers at Wexham Park Hospital, said: “I felt pretty horrendous.

“I was in emergency treatment for a spinal tumour, so the communication about the cancer was immediate and I didn’t really get a chance to reflect on it.

“I had to have a titanium rod fitted into my spine and was hospitalised for almost five months.

“During the scans they also found cancer on my left kidney, so they had to take the kidney out, so luckily that’s gone now.

“Emotionally it was quite devastating. I was suddenly hit with an uncontrollable situation and I felt I had an uncertain future.

“I had also lost core muscles, so I couldn’t even sit up in bed. It was quite traumatic.”

Mr Chant found out about NHS research through treatment at Oxford’s Churchill Hospital and enrolled on the MUK five trial in 2013 to see if a new drug was more effective than the treatment he was already receiving.

Participants were randomly allocated to receive either the current treatment – cyclophosphamide, velcade and dexamethasone (CVD) – or a new treatment – carfilzomib, cyclophosphamide and dexamethasone (CCD).

Mr Chant was given CCD.

He said: “The basic motivation to take part in research was to give something back. I’d received excellent care and the NHS has saved my life from myeloma and kidney cancer.

“My haematologist, Dr Ramasamy, suggested going on the trial where I might be able to take a new drug, carfilzomib, rather than the standard treatment.

“It suited me very well. It was successful on the cancer front and it also had very few side effects. So it was a good trial for me.”

Mr Chant completed the trial in 2015, and has since been in remission.

He added: “I feel good now. It was probably one of the best things I did as a patient and I have no absolutely no regrets about being on the trial. It helped me enormously.”

Dr Karthik Ramasamy, the trial’s principal investigator at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “With an increasing number of therapeutic drugs there are more options for patients.

“Research trials give patients options and those who fail standard therapies can have an improved chance of survival.”

Patients can speak to their doctors about research opportunities or visit the UK Clinical Trials Gateway at www.ukctg.nihr.ac.uk.