Roger Dennis, alive thanks to chemotherapy breakthroughs, will be part of virtual Melanoma March
Roger Dennis should quite probably be dead. Had he gone to his specialist two years ago, he would have been told to go home and get his affairs in order.
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Roger Dennis will give an alive and kicking impression of a dead man walking when he ‘strides’ out with wife Gloria in this year’s Virtual Melanoma March after recent research breakthroughs gave him a new lease on life.
A lump found on his foot in December 2017 turned out to be melanoma and tests showed melanoma cells in a lymph node in his groin.
These were surgically removed and the following February when the couple visited an oncologist Mrs Dennis vividly recalls the specialist saying: “If you had come to me two years ago, I would have said, ‘there is nothing I can do – go home and get your affairs in order.’ However, because of the great developments made in the past two years in melanoma research, I can now offer you choices.”
Mr Dennis, now 80, of Salisbury Heights, was monitored until last June when the melanoma returned to his foot. Rather than an amputation, radiotherapy was prescribed but more lumps also appeared in the lymph nodes in the groin.
“Luckily, there were choices, and the oncologist prescribed a course of oral chemotherapy,” Mrs Dennis said.
“Only recently developed because of the ongoing research, this type of chemotherapy was easy to administer at home. Roger was unable to tolerate the treatment for more than three months, but the lumps reduced in size and the melanoma on his foot was killed by the radiotherapy.”
Their oncologist could also offer a relatively new choice, immunotherapy where an infusion stimulates the body’s own immune system to fight the cancer.
“After three months on this treatment, the melanoma lumps in Roger’s groin have disappeared completely,” Mrs Dennis said.
“He will continue to be monitored regularly, and will receive immunotherapy infusions every three weeks to keep his body’s immune system primed to deal with any new melanoma invasions.
“Roger is leading a busy, fulfilling life and we give thanks each day for the incredible inroads being made by researchers into melanoma treatment. We are so lucky, without research he would not be here today.”
Melanoma Institute Australia chief executive Matthew Browne said: “Less than a decade ago, an advanced melanoma diagnosis meant months to live at best, but our research has helped develop treatments, which have tripled life expectancy for these patients.
“Funds raised by Melanoma March will ensure our lifesaving research can continue, moving us closer to reaching our goal of zero deaths from melanoma.”
The Virtual Melanoma March will be held online Sunday, March 29, from 9am, register at adelaide.melanomamarch.org.au
