A man from Co Clare has said that despite being diagnosed with stage four lung cancer nine years ago, being in the right place at the right time means he is now in remission.
Seamus Cotter was 46 when he received his diagnosis in 2016.
Deemed suitable for a clinical trial of a new immunotherapy treatment changed everything for him.
A new report has called for more State investment in trials of cancer medicines, which it says save lives and brings access to new treatments that would otherwise be unavailable to patients.
Mr Cotter, who is now 55, said lung cancer is a terrible disease and the prognosis was even worse back in 2016.
But, he said, he was in the right place at the right time and met the right people.
He was being treated at Galway University Hospital and his oncologist proposed him for a clinical trial of a potential new immunotherapy treatment.
Mr Cotter went through the informed consent process and signed the necessary documentation that he was happy with how the trial would be run and understood all the risks.
When his treatment started, he went to Galway every two weeks, for two years and described the treatment he received throughout the trial as second to none.
Mr Cotter said that the patients are monitored very closely and receive enhanced care.
For the first six months of the clinical trial, he had CT scans every six weeks and then it moved out to every 12 weeks.
"I was always very happy with the reports from the CT scans," he explained. "I was getting a new report every six weeks."
He had some side effects during the course of the treatment, but he said he is living well with those and taking a few tablets every day.
After just eight months on the trial, he got his first clear scan and that has continued to this day.
Mr Cotter said he has now been through the two years of treatment, has had five years of review and has come out the other side and is living well.
After his experience, he said he spends a large part of his life involved in advocacy.
He said he would always encourage patients to ask their oncologist if there is a clinical trial available that would be suitable for them.
The report from Cancer Trials Ireland said trials also generate tangible financial treatment cost savings for the State, with a sample of 18 trials showing savings of €14.8 million over four years.
Cancer Trials Ireland is a not-for-profit charity which was set up in 1996.
It is funded in part by the Health Research Board (a State body), the Irish Cancer Society and from donations.
It supports and oversees over 100 trials involving thousands of patients and works with doctors and other health professionals.
The report says there are 117 open cancer trials in Ireland currently, but the country lags behind Denmark which has 385 trials going and Sweden which has 353.
There were 3,300 patients recruited to trials in the first nine months of this year.
Cancer Trials Ireland CEO Angela Clayton-Lea said that the evidence was clear and undisputed, patients on cancer trials do better.
She said they also bring increased oversight for patients, through more scans, tests and follow-ups with their medical consultant, research nurse and medical team.
