Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumour - Getting the Bigger Picture on GIST

Chris, a 42 year old father of 3, was diagnosed with a gastrointestinal stromal tumour (GIST) in 2019. Having undergone surgery and started chemotherapy, it was found that the cancer had spread to the liver.
Maggie spoke to Chris about his diagnosis, the steps that were taken to identify the cancer originally and the treatment that he subsequently had. There are some fascinating insights into how the diagnosis was made, the symptoms that led to Chris seeking medical help and how he responded to the treatment that he had. Also, some great tips to help overcome some of the stresses of living with cancer and all that goes with that.
Chris is so positive about his situation and it's an inspiration just listening to him. One of the ways that he has coped with living with his cancer is to start running again. As part of that, he has just completed the Great North Run (half marathon) and will take part in the London Marathon at the beginning of October. A combination of the running and the fundraising has helped Chris to remain so positive and it was really great to have the opportunity to chat to him about his cancer and about running.
Chris is raising money for Children with Cancer UK, you can sponsor him for the London Marathon at his Virgin Money Giving page and you can follow him on Twitter @gotthegistofit
This episode is a bit unusual in that we don't have an interview with one of our scientists about the work that they are doing with radioactive drugs for cancer but we will be putting out that interview in another episode in a couple of weeks for you to enjoy.
As ever, thanks to the Public Engagement Team at the Centre for Medical Engineering at King's College London for their support for this podcast.