'Going from cancer doctor to patient was bizarrely reassuring'

Prof Adrian Crellin has dedicated his career to helping people with cancer, but he admits it was still "absolutely devastating" when he was diagnosed with the disease in 2016.

A cancer specialist for 40 years, Prof Crellin has since received treatment for prostate cancer in the Bexley Wing at St James's Hospital in Leeds - the same centre which he had helped launch in 2008.

"Suddenly I was a patient and I was floored by it, psychologically," he told the BBC.

Speaking ahead of World Cancer Day, which is held annually on 4 February to raise awareness of the disease, the 70-year-old described how difficult it was on the very first day of his treatment at his own place of work.

"Going through the doors of my own cancer centre for the first time was an emotional hurdle," he admitted.

"But I found being surrounded by my oncology colleagues reassuring."

Being a cancer specialist "made some aspects of it worse, because I knew every problem that could occur. I felt almost neurotic about what could happen," he said.

"In a bizarre way, going from doctor to patient was quite reassuring because my treatment is of the highest quality and in an area I'm not frightened about."

Prof Crellin said he had so far undergone four rounds of radiotherapy at the Bexley Wing.

Prostate cancer is now the most common cancer in England, with a 25% increase in cases since 2019 and 55,033 men being diagnosed in 2023, according to NHS figures.

Prof Crellin, who was appointed CBE for services to radiotherapy in 2019, said while his cancer was incurable and had spread to his bones, it was not terminal, meaning it could be managed.

He said he wanted to stress the difference between the terms "terminal" and "incurable".

He explained that terminal cancer was when the disease was "not amenable to treatment", so, in his case, there were still options available until "the inevitable happens".

"I have done particularly well with incurable cancer with modern treatment", he said.

That meant he had more time to spend time with his two grandchildren and his wife, and doing the things he enjoyed such as playing tennis and pub quizzes, Prof Crellin said.

The Bexley Wing which Prof Crellin helped launch now treats 5,000 patients every year and offers what the NHS describes as "some of the best treatment for cancer available anywhere in the world".

Prof Crellin said he knew how lucky he was that NHS cancer treatment had advanced so much, even compared to just a few years ago, describing it as truly "state-of-the-art".

"It's down to the development of pure research and innovation that allows patients to get better outcomes," he said.

However, Prof Crellin said that as uncertainty was still one of the main things cancer patients had to face on a daily basis, honesty and transparency in the treatment they received was absolutely vital.

"Being in a place where there is research activity going on...it's a matter of trust. You have to be able to trust the people looking after you," he said.

Prof Crellin added that his life at the moment was "hopeful" and he had come to terms with his diagnosis "in a much better way".

While there were still days when he cried and felt vulnerable, he remained positive, he said.

However, Prof Crellin said he realised that as his condition progressed, his treatment might become more aggressive and his quality of life could be affected.

"In a way I am very lucky, but I have another journey still to go."

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