When Kim, mother-of-two from Cambridgeshire, noticed thickening of the skin and painful twinges in her left breast, her GP referred her for urgent scans.
Two weeks later, the 47 year old was diagnosed with breast cancer. Her treatment plan of chemotherapy and mastectomy, a surgery to remove all of the breast, soon followed. Kim was then due to receive radiotherapy, to lower the risk of cancer coming back.
Kim was at increased risk of developing long term heart problems years after radiotherapy, due to a pre-existing heart condition.
“I was over the moon to find out about the PARABLE trial.”
- Kim
The PARABLE trial is looking at a type of radiotherapy called proton beam therapy, for people with breast cancer. Proton beam therapy uses charged particles instead of x-rays to target tumours more precisely. Researchers hope it will allow doctors to deliver the required dose of radiotherapy where it is needed and minimise the dose of radiation delivered to the heart. The trial is the first in the UK to use proton beam therapy.
Kim, a kitchen assistant from Ely, was one of the first in the UK to take part in the trial.
In October 2022, Kim travelled to Manchester for proton beam therapy at The Christie, one of Europe's largest cancer centres. Treatment took place over the course of 3 weeks, with 15 sessions, each lasting approximately 45 minutes.
She said: “The whole team was so lovely, very welcoming and made me feel at home when I was far from home. They explained everything very well and I met up with the doctor once a week to see how treatment was going.”
At the end of each week Kim had to fill out a simple questionnaire about any side effects she experienced during and after treatment, for a total of 12 weeks. Another survey was completed 6 months after treatment and Kim has been followed up yearly since. As of October 2025, the cancer has not returned.
“All the treatment I have had so far would have been in a trial at some point, so I’m just grateful to all those people who have taken part in research over the years to help find the best treatments."
- Kim
Kim said: “I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to take part in the trial and pleased with all the treatment that I’ve had to date. I’m looking forward to the future and I’m feeling pretty optimistic about everything.”
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