The frontman of an acclaimed rock band is now in ‘complete remission’ from an incurable form of blood cancer following a groundbreaking drugs trial in Manchester.
Mike Peters, who is the frontman for Welsh punk rock band, The Alarm, was first diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) – which is the most common type of leukaemia, and is usually slow growing – more than 29 years ago, before sadly being diagnosed with a rapidly-progressive blood cancer, known as Richter’s syndrome, earlier this year.
While CLL unfortunately cannot be cured, it is normally known to respond to treatment, and in Mike’s case, the 65-year-old had received four courses of chemotherapy since he was first diagnosed.
Back in April of this year, Mike was about to embark on a 50-date tour of the US with his band when he felt a lump in his neck whilst shaving which had appeared overnight, and following a biopsy of the lump, it was then revealed that he had developed Richter’s syndrome, where his CLL changed into an aggressive fast-growing lymphoma.
The North Wales-based father of two sons was sadly then forced to cancel his tour and disappoint thousands of fans.
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#InTheNews Mike Peters, lead singer of The Alarm, is in remission from a rare form of lymphoma called Richter's syndrome after taking part in a clinical trial at The Christie.
Mike was referred from the North Wales Cancer Centre to The Christie NHS Foundation Trust here in Manchester, and agreed to take part in a randomised phase II clinical trial, which was setting out to investigate the combination of a targeted therapy called acalabrutinib, in combination with standard chemotherapy.
Although acalabrutinib is already approved for CLL, according to The Christie, it had not been tested in combination with chemotherapy for Richter’s Syndrome.
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The aim of this new combined therapy was to increase both the chance of the cancer responding to treatment, and the duration of the response, and so, just two weeks after his diagnosis, Mike started the first of five cycles of chemotherapy.
Rock frontman Mike Peters is now in ‘complete remission’ from an incurable form of blood cancer / Credit: The Christie NHS
Miraculously, a scan in August showed that there are currently no signs of cancer – which doctors describe as “complete remission” – with the plan now being to go ahead with a donor stem cell transplant, which will offer the rockstar the chance of finally being cured of the disease.
“I can’t thank The Christie enough for getting me on this clinical trial,” Mike said.
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“I consider myself lucky I discovered the lump before I’d left for the States, as I might not be here now if I hadn’t. Doctors told me without treatment, I only had a couple of months to live, which was a huge shock [but] the drugs worked so quickly, and the lump disappeared as fast as it appeared.”
“I’d encourage anyone to consider taking part in a clinical trial if that is a viable option for them,” Mike concluded.
Featured Image – The Christie NHS
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Drama Call opening first-ever flagship shop in Manchester
Danny Jones
Streetwear superstars Drama Call are opening their new flagship store and first-ever permanent site in Manchester city centre this weekend.
Expect massive queues and lots turning up wearing the increasingly recognisable starry logo.
Already a much-loved brand not just here in 0161 but across the nation at large, the native independent business turned street-style favourites and UK fashion phenomenon are no strangers to HUGE pop-ups in their hometown.
However, they’ve never had a mainstay location anywhere in the country, let alone Greater Manchester – well, until now, that is…
Credit: Press shots (supplied)
Debuting in the Northern Quarter this Sunday, the venue located on Tib Street will effectively serve as Drama Call‘s new HQ.
The local label has done everything from popping up vans with Manc rapper Aitch to collaborating with Man United for multiple limited edition collections, so it only felt like a matter of time before they’d make a big brick-and-mortar splash in our fair city.
Most notably, they’re also taking over the same unit as the Sheep Shop, a former skate shop and legendary urban clothing tastemaker of the 90s; they were one of the first places in Britain to stock famous names like Stüssy, Supreme, Carhartt, The North Face and many more.
With that in mind, it feels only fitting that they carry on the trendsetting tradition from the same premises, and just spitting distance from the likes of Note, as well.
And that’s not all, either: before the full launch, they’ll also be holding an exclusive cash-only shirt swap event, where a limited number of certain collector’s items will be sold for as little as £10.
Other things to note are the additions of signed vinyls by homegrown artists such as the aforementioned Aitch and even The Smiths.
In fact, the store will also feature strictly Mancunian exclusives, too.
Everything from polo shirts and tees to branded mugs, matchboxes and other accessories will be available in-store only.
NQ is bound to be buzzing across launch weekend, with doors officially opening to the public on Sunday, and we wouldn’t be surprised if you see people camping outside the front well ahead of time.
What a moment the Manc shopping scene is having right now.
Featured Images — Publicity pictures (supplied via Pear)
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Andy Burnham explains why Number 10 North is so important as it officially ‘opens for business’
Emily Sergeant
Andy Burnham has explained his key reasons for launching Number 10 North as it officially ‘opens for business’ this week.
You may remember that earlier last month, Andy Burnham revealed he had intentions to create a Number 10 North if he was to become Prime Minister, with the new base expected to be a ‘dominant driver of the UK’s economy’ once it was officially up and running… and now, fast forward to today, Number 10 North is officially ‘open for business’.
Operating from Heron House in Manchester city centre, as previously reported on, Number 10 North will be the Government’s new ‘situation room for growth’.
It also brings the ‘levers’ of local economic growth and devolution together under one roof for the first time ever.
Number 10 North has officially ‘opened for business’ / Credit: gov.uk (via Wikimedia Commons)
With the Prime Minister expected to work from Number 10 North each week, so that decisions about the country’s economic future will no longer exclusively be made in Westminster, and with other ministers also working from there on a regular basis, the Government says the move underlines its determination to ‘do things differently’.
Now that Number 10 North has officially opened, Andy Burnham and his fellow ministers have explained why this move is so important for not just Manchester, but the north as a whole.
“For 40 years, power and resources have been sucked into the centre, and too many communities have felt forgotten, without the attention and investment they deserve,” explained Andy Burnham.
“Number 10 North will change that by putting more power into every postcode across the entire country. It will be the situation room for making Britain better, the place we use to get power out of Westminster, into the hands of people at a local level, so that they can turn things around.
“The days of Whitehall resisting devolution are over, for good.”
First Secretary Louise Haigh added: “Today marks a fundamental re-balancing of where power sits in our country. Number 10 North has been set up to drive economic growth in every postcode and put power in the hands of every community.
Emily Sergeant -
1st October 2024 
