Nikki Bailey's story

“My consultant and the clinical trial team have made the whole journey so much more bearable”

Nikki Bailey was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), a type of blood cancer, and by joining a clinical trial she was given combination of drug treatments instead of undergoing chemotherapy, meaning she could continue with her day-to-day life.

In 2020 Nikki’s consultant Dr Lally DeSoysa approached her about an opportunity to take part in a clinical trial called FLAIR, which is a randomised phase 3 trial which aims to see if combination of drugs containing ibrutinib work better than the standard treatment for CLL.

The trial included three different treatments one was routine, second was chemotherapy and the third treatment which Nikki was given consisted of two drugs - ibrutinib and venetoclax.

Nikki said: “I had chemotherapy it would have been massively intrusive in my life and for my recovery afterwards, whereas I take targeted drugs at home every day, so I have been able to get on with my life and every three months I get my bloods checked, so no one would have known.

“If I hadn’t been offered this trial I would have had chemotherapy, and my life would have been very different. The drugs I took targeted particular proteins within the cancer cells rather, whereas chemotherapy hits all white cells in the body.

“I visit my consultant every 3 months to get my bloods checked, a physical exam and I’ve had CT scans and two bone marrow biopsies.

“Having treatment at home has meant I can manage my day-to-day life so much better and live life to the full still.”