Immunotherapy Saves Stage 4 Bowel Cancer Patient: A Decade-Long Journey from Terminal Diagnosis to Cancer-Free
Key Insights
Mo Haque was diagnosed with stage 4 inoperable bowel cancer (search) in December 2014 and told his chances of successful treatment were small.
After chemotherapy failed and the cancer was deemed terminal, community fundraising of nearly £200,000 enabled access to private immunotherapy (search) in June 2016.
By 2018, there was no evidence of disease in his body, and after ten years of monitoring, he was discharged by his medical team in April 2025.
In December 2014, shortly before his 32nd birthday, Mo Haque was diagnosed with stage 4 inoperable bowel cancer (search). His oncologist told him there was only a small chance of treating it successfully. A decade later, after immunotherapy (search) treatment funded through an extraordinary community fundraising effort, Haque has been discharged by his medical team with no evidence of disease—a outcome that, by his own acknowledgment, the data would suggest should not have been possible.
Haque's journey began with subtle symptoms in the spring and summer of 2014: severe stomach cramps, increased frequency of bowel movements, and an unexplained decline in his fitness levels. "I was used to running a lot and regularly ran laps with my running buddy. We had always been at the same fitness level and ran together, but I started noticing that he was leaving me behind, lapping me on the running track," Haque recalled. "It was as if I had lost my form overnight."
After an episode of severe abdominal pain in October 2014 sent him to A&E, blood tests revealed anaemia. Given his family history—his father had died of bowel cancer (search) in 1985 when Haque was just two years old—further investigations were ordered. A colonoscopy in early December could not be completed due to inflammation, and a follow-up CT scan led to the diagnosis. When the oncologist delivered the news that the cancer was stage 4 and inoperable, Haque left the appointment in tears. "At this point, the picture seemed very bleak to me," he said.
Chemotherapy and Genetic Discovery
Haque began chemotherapy on Christmas Eve 2014, undergoing six cycles in an attempt to shrink the tumour. A CT scan in March 2015 revealed a clot in his lungs, and his compromised immunity forced him into isolation. By April, the tumour had shrunk sufficiently for surgery: an ileostomy with removal of his colon and part of his stomach, where the cancer had also spread. This was followed by another six cycles of mop-up chemotherapy.
But by September 2015, the cancer had returned, now present in his lymph nodes. Around this time, genetic testing—prompted by a suggestion from an integrated physician Haque was seeing privately—revealed he had Lynch syndrome (search), a hereditary condition that predisposes individuals to certain cancers. His oncologist identified this genetic profile as making him a potentially good candidate for immunotherapy (search).
Terminal Diagnosis and the Fight for Immunotherapy (search)
After another six cycles of chemotherapy, Haque received devastating news in December 2015: the chemotherapy was not working, the cancer was growing, and it was now terminal. No further treatment was available to him on the NHS. Immunotherapy (search), then not as established as it is today, was available at University College Hospital but only to those with the means to pay—at an initial price tag of around £250,000.
Haque applied for clinical trials and sought immunotherapy (search) on compassionate use grounds, but was turned down. "I applied to be put forward for clinical trials and approached 2016 with a feeling of hope. But in January, I was told that there were no suitable trials opening for me," he said. A phase 1 checkpoint inhibitor (search)—a type of immunotherapy targeting proteins that regulate immune response—proved ineffective, and a lymph node in his neck required ten days of radiotherapy.
Community Fundraising and Treatment
A friend suggested fundraising for private treatment. Initially resistant—"I felt I would be begging for my life"—Haque experienced what he describes as a "dark night of the soul" moment that shifted his perspective. "I suddenly felt awakened, worthy and deserving of life," he said.
The fundraising campaign, launched via JustGiving and promoted on Facebook, gained remarkable traction. The local newspaper picked up the story, and Haque's local MP at the time—Sir Keir Starmer—took on his case. Coverage followed in the London Evening Standard and ITV News. Without any PR machine or influencers, close to £200,000 was raised in six weeks.
Haque began immunotherapy (search) in June 2016 and remained on the treatment for one year. The response was striking: after the first month, the cancer began reducing, and the treatment continued working even after the year-long course was completed. "By 2018, there was no evidence of disease in my body and my scans since then have continued to show I am cancer-free," Haque said. His final scan took place in April 2025, and after ten years of monitoring, he was discharged by his medical team at University College London Hospital.
Living with the Aftermath
The journey has not been without lasting effects. Haque continues to experience rheumatoid arthritis in his hands as a side effect of immunotherapy (search). In 2023, he was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis (search) and required surgery to remove his rectum, spending 39 days in hospital. His ileostomy, initially expected to be temporary, is now permanent. "I have had accidents and it has not always been easy, but I have learned to live with it and accept it," he said. "I have managed to travel, climb mountains, spend several weeks in the jungle and I continue to run, swim, dance and live life to the full."
The Role of Research
Haque is unequivocal about what saved his life. "Cancer research has been absolutely crucial in keeping me alive," he said. At a Lynch syndrome (search) conference in the USA in 2019, he met a woman whose sister had participated in the clinical trial that led to the development of his immunotherapy (search) treatment. Her sister had passed away. "It was very emotional to meet someone directly connected to the research that saved my life," Haque reflected.
He noted that immunotherapy (search) is now available to NHS patients with particular genetic markers suggesting the expensive treatment would be effective—a significant shift from when he had to fundraise for access. "The data will tell you that with my diagnosis of stage 4 bowel cancer (search), I should not be alive, but here I am because of the drug I was given," Haque said.
Now running two running clubs, operating a personal transformation company, and having authored a book titled Absurd Hope, Haque has moved into what he calls "the next chapter" of his life. "These days, when I go for a run in my Saturday morning running club, no one would even know I had cancer."