A new cancer pill’s been hailed a "game-changer" in the battle against blood cancers after a patient struck with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma for eight years has now seen it "vanish."

       Adele Adams, 59, has fought the cancer since February 2016 but in all that time has only ever been in remission for one month.

       In 2022 she agreed to try a pill in a phase-1 trial at The Christie hospital, in Manchester, that is so new, it's still only known as 'NX-5948'.

       Now Adele, of Wallasey, Merseyside, has been thrilled to discover her tumours have shrunk to such an extent - they are too small to be measured on a scan.

       And experts have now hailed NX-5948 a potential "game-changer" in the battle against blood cancers like Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, B-cell lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL).

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       Adele told the Daily Express: "I’ve only previously been in remission for a month in eight years, yet I feel alive. If you get offered the opportunity to go on a clinical trial, grab it with both hands.

       "I couldn’t walk or even stand and now I’m playing golf. I’m not scared of cancer. If it wants to fight, I say ‘game on’. If it’s in my way I make it move.

       "Unbelievably my dad had the same type of lymphoma as me for 13 years. I lost him two years ago.

       "He was my rock and I miss him every day. Fortunately, I’m still here, and I have to thank the exceptional care at The Christie for that."

       Adele, who trained as a jockey when a teenager, was diagnosed with stage 4 Non Hodgkin’s lymphoma in February 2016 and given her first course of chemotherapy

       Over a six years she endured 10 different types of chemo and two bouts of radiotherapy but to no avail.

       In 2019 Adele’s lymphoma became more aggressive and spread - leaving her twice being told by doctors there was nothing more they could do..

       On New Year’s Eve 2020 Adele was admitted to The Christie for CAR-T immunotherapy but only went into remission for a month before the cancer returned.

       But then in September 2022 she was offered the chance to participate in a phase-1 clinical trial at The Christie for the pill NX-5948 for B-cell lymphoma and CLL.

       Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is an umbrella term to include all types of lymphoma, except Hodgkin's Lymphoma.

       B-cell lymphoma is a group of cancers that form in the B-cells which form part of the immune system while CLL is a type of cancer of the blood and bone marrow.

       Adele takes four capsules a day, increased from two, and now has monthly visits to see her doctor and scans every three months, which recently showed her tumours too small to measure.

       Delighted Adele, who has two Dachshunds called Biscuit and Frankie said: “I should have died four times but thankfully I didn’t.

       "It’s been very tough, and I really shouldn’t be here. Before starting on this trial I’d suffered sepsis twice, contracted pneumonia and my right lung collapsed at one point.

       "On one occasion when I was really ill, and struggling for breath, I just wanted to go. I’m not religious but I saw a hand reaching up to take my hand.

       "The love I felt was so intense. I felt so safe, frightened yet safe, if that makes sense?

       "I wasn’t scared of dying, just of not being able to take my next breath and worried about what would happen to my dogs."

       Adele has a passion for golf and has won three trophies and added: "In January I got back on the golf course for the first time since July.

       "When I hit the golf ball I imagine I’m hitting everyone’s cancer. That’s why I do so well!"

       Dr Kim Linton, consultant medical oncologist at The Christie, and the principal investigator for the trial said: "This new trial drug is designed to eliminate lymphoma from cells by degrading a critical growth protein.

       "Some lymphomas develop resistance to the licensed drugs, which this new drug can overcome.

       "The results we’re seeing are impressive and make us cautiously optimistic that we have found a new way to treat patients with difficult to treat B cell lymphomas.

       "We still have a lot of work to do but potentially this could be a game-changer in the fight against lymphoma."