‘My doctors say I'm a walking miracle'

Alison Tatum was told she needed urgent treatment for stage four cancer

Three and a half years ago, Alison Tatum was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer and told she had between 12 and 18 months to live.

Her oncologist has called her "a walking miracle", as she is now cancer free.

"I’m aware the cancer could come back. But for now, I have a positive attitude and I’m doing well," the 55-year-old from Islington in north London said.

Lung cancer is the UK’s biggest cancer killer, with survival rates lower than most other types, according to Cancer Research UK.

Sore back

Ms Tatum was treated with two drugs called cisplatin and etoposide phosphate.

Scientists funded by Cancer Research UK led some of the first clinical trials into the drugs.

Ms Tatum, who smoked most of her adult life, was diagnosed with lung cancer in July 2021.

“I’d had a bit of a cough for a while, especially in the winter months, and then I developed a sore back," she said.

"Other than that, I was fine. I worked in a primary school for 22 years and I was never ill.

"One day, my son Jack saw something on the BBC about a woman who had had a prolonged cough and had a bad back. It turned out she had stage four lung cancer.

"He insisted I went to the doctor.”

Doctors found "shadowing" on Ms Tatum's left lung and told her she needed urgent treatment.

Mass on brain

“I had two large tumours on my lung," Ms Tatum said. "I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t feel unwell at all.

"It wasn’t possible to remove the tumours and they wanted to check if the cancer had spread to my brain. I was sure it hadn’t but they found ‘something odd’."

After three months of chemotherapy, a mass on her brain had gone. However, the treatment proved harsh for her.

"I asked what my prognosis was and the doctor said ‘Not good’," she said.

"I asked what he meant by that he said probably 12 to 18 months. I still didn’t feel unwell so it all seemed unreal.”

Doctors told Ms Tatum there was no cure for her cancer, but the treatment would hopefully hold the disease at bay.

“That was 2021 and we’re now nearly into 2025," she said.

"My consultant says I’m a walking miracle. I can’t quite believe it myself."

Smoking is the biggest cause of lung cancer in the UK.

Ms Tatum urged Londoners to write to their MP and ask them to support the Tobacco and Vapes Bill currently going through Parliament, which will increase the age of sale for tobacco products.