Fund Ian Stevens Stage IV Lung Cancer treatment

The headlines

Here are just a few of the things we had no idea about just three weeks ago, but sadly are all too acutely aware of right now:

Ian has Stage 4 Cancer – the really bad kind.

There are drugs that can help him manage it – the really expensive kind.

And that’s where you come in – the really, well, very kind kind.

The background

All things considered, Ian’s 42nd birthday won’t go down as one of his best.

Having been feeling unwell with bronchitis-like symptoms since September 2018, and being diagnosed with pneumonia a month later, that morning, November 28, he asked his wife, Nina, if she’d take him back to Urgent Care.

The plan was simple: to get another round of antibiotics to finally knock this pneumonia on the head, so he’d be well enough to travel back to the UK for a Christmas spent with friends and family after spending the last two in their new home in LA.

That was the plan.

What actually happened would, in fact, turn both their lives on their head.

Ian and Nina both now owe a great deal to Urgent Care’s Dr Monica Separzadeh who, after ordering another X-ray, insisted Ian go straight for a CT scan. She then called some hours later to say she’d seen a mass on Ian’s left lung and that he and Nina should go to ER immediately.

Like we said earlier, this wasn’t exactly the direction Ian had seen his birthday going in...

Five days later, the biopsies came back to show that Ian has Stage IV, Non Small Cell Lung Cancer. (The location of the lung tumor turned out to be in the centre of his lung, meaning it was blocking the pneumonia infection in his left lung that had been causing his symptoms all along.)

A brain MRI then showed that the cancer had spread, to six tumors in his brain.

The news came as a huge shock for someone as healthy and strong as Ian and they were completely floored.

The cause

After some molecular profiling of the tumor, it was discovered that Ian has a rare genetic mutation called ALK; a mutation that can cause lung cancer in non-smokers and young people and that also – because presumably it isn’t the world’s most stupid mutation already, or maybe because it’s going for some sort of special award for A**hole Mutation Of The Year or something – commonly means it spreads to the brain.

Only 3% of all people diagnosed with Ian’s type of lung cancer have the mutation.

The science

The ALK (anaplastic lymphoma kinase) mutation is a rearrangement in a gene that codes an abnormal protein called tyrosine kinase. Tyrosine kinases are enzymes (proteins) that act as chemical messengers, sending signals to the cells’ growth centre and, in this case, dictate the growth of Cancer.

The exciting thing about this discovery is that now some Cancers can be treated with drugs that block tyrosine kinase and inhibit the growth of the cancer by blocking the signals that tell the cell to divide.

They essentially control the Cancer’s “on-off” switch. This is called ‘targeted therapy’ and is less destructive on healthy cells than chemotherapy.

The drug Alectinib (Alecensa) has been recommended by Ian’s oncologist as an urgent first route as it has promising results in crossing the blood-brain barrier (unlike traditional lung cancer drugs) meaning Ian may not need radiation therapy on his brain. This would be the preferred route given all the potential degenerative side-effects from radio surgery.

The Path

Ian and Nina have been seeking advice from leading experts in the UK as well as their adopted home in California. Ian is very lucky to have some of the best Doctors for his condition treating him and to live in a place at the cutting edge of lung cancer research.

The money

This treatment is very new and is a positive step amidst a background of lung cancer treatments that haven’t increased survival significantly in the last several decades.

However, it is also very expensive – $15,000 per month – and is not fully covered by insurance. This is something Ian will have to take every day for the rest of his life.

The future

Ian will be monitored every two weeks, with regular scans to check the progress of the tumors. Like all drugs, the cancer cells will become resistant to prolonged use. But, this is one of the most promising times in lung cancer and if and when they become resistant, Ian’s doctors are confident there will be new treatments and trials for Ian to try.

The man

Look, the truth is that he’s a Tottenham Hotspur fan. So it’s not like the guy is perfect. But if you know Ian, you’ll know why he’s so important.

You may know him as The Steves, Eens, Cousin Ian, Uncle Ian, the Maverick, Big Bear, proud husband and Godfather.

You’ll also likely know that he’d be the first person to help you if the shoe was on the other foot.

If you’ve never had the pleasure to meet Ian, chances are you’ve probably loved his work over the years, given that he’s the multiple-award-winning Creative Director behind some of the most iconic magazine covers the world has ever seen, on magazines like Empire, Q, Top Gear and very many more.

Today, Ian lives in Los Angeles with his loving wife Nina. He's the Patrick Star to her Spongebob and from tomorrow, with your help, he’s starting their fight back.

Thank you.