Powered by NHS data - Matt's story

As a clinical trials researcher and data scientist, Matt Sydes encountered disease from the safety of a desk, until an unexpected diagnosis meant he had to confront a rare cancer through a patient very close to him… his son.

Matt has always taken great pride in his role, knowing that by securely analysing patient data he plays his part in developing new treatments and medicines.

This important connection between clinical research and impact on lives suddenly became very real when his teenage son was sent to hospital for further tests on a lump that had appeared on his back.

The test results led to the news no parent ever wants to hear: his son had Ewing's sarcoma, a rare, life-threatening bone cancer which affects around 150 people every year in the UK. By an almost impossible coincidence, it was one of the cancers for which Matt was running a clinical trial. He describes the moment he received the news:

Fortunately, Matt’s son was eligible for the clinical trial. One treatment on the trial was the usual approach and the other had shown promise but now required more thorough testing. Whichever of the two treatments his son was allocated to, Matt just hoped it would work well for his son and knew the data would help other people in the future.

Matt’s son responded positively to the treatment and 10 years on, he is well, happy and, on the whole, recovered.

Matt describes his feelings looking back: