Man Survives Advanced Kidney Cancer for Two Decades Thanks to Pioneering Immunotherapy

Quentin Webb, diagnosed with advanced kidney cancer at age 46 and given less than a year to live, is now in remission two decades later, having benefited from pioneering immunotherapy treatment.

When Webb received his diagnosis in October 2006, doctors told him there was "nothing we can do" as the cancer had spread to his lung, classifying it as stage four. At the time, chemotherapy and radiotherapy were not expected to be effective. Webb's initial symptoms, including fatigue, weight loss, and an enlarged testicle, were initially overlooked and misdiagnosed.

After the tumor, weighing 3.5 pounds (1.5 kg), was removed along with his left kidney and adrenal gland, the couple learned of Interleukin-2 (IL-2), a then-experimental treatment available in North America. Helen Webb discovered that clinicians at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester were pioneering the therapy, making it accessible in the UK.

Webb began IL-2 treatment in July 2007. The therapy, which stimulates the immune system to attack cancer cells, was one of the few treatments capable of producing long-lasting remissions for advanced kidney cancer and melanoma before the widespread availability of modern immunotherapy drugs. Researchers have noted that a small percentage of patients achieved remissions lasting many years, even decades, with this treatment.

Following his treatment, which concluded in August 2008, Webb experienced severe side effects. However, subsequent scans indicated significant improvement, and in 2015, a recurrence in his right adrenal gland was removed. He is now on lifelong steroids but remains in remission.

Kidney cancer is the sixth most common cancer in the UK, with cases rising among younger adults. Experts attribute this trend partly to increasing rates of obesity and high blood pressure. Early-stage kidney cancer often presents with few or no symptoms, leading to late diagnoses, frequently during tests for unrelated conditions.

IL-2, while effective for some, could cause severe side effects, including dangerously low blood pressure and heart rhythm disturbances. It has largely been replaced by newer, more tolerable immunotherapy drugs. For Webb, however, IL-2 proved to be life-saving, allowing him to witness his son Oakley grow up, start school, and graduate from university. He continues to enjoy an active lifestyle, including sailing and climbing, and has raised £50,000 for The Christie Charity.