Robert Donaher lives an active, healthy lifestyle. He’s married to his high school sweetheart and the couple has two adult children. Together, the family enjoys traveling, hiking, playing pickleball and golfing. Robert has also been on a nearly 20-year journey with melanoma treatment. He credits clinical trials, targeted therapy and his Atrium Health Levine Cancer team with saving his life.
Robert’s melanoma diagnosis
In 2007, Robert noticed an unusual spot on his left bicep. He saw his dermatologist, who biopsied the nodule and diagnosed him with a dysplastic nevus, a noncancerous, atypical mole that increases a person’s risk of melanoma. After the mole was removed, Robert didn’t require any additional treatment.
But then, in 2014, a new spot appeared on his arm in the same place where the dysplastic nevus had been removed.
“The new spot was the size of a pencil eraser and didn’t look like a big deal,” says Robert. “It was pink and looked healthy, like a freckle—it wasn’t big and scary-looking.”
However, because of his previous diagnosis, Robert scheduled an appointment with his dermatologist. A biopsy confirmed the new growth was malignant melanoma. Further testing revealed the melanoma had spread to some of Robert’s lymph nodes.
Clinical trials for melanoma treatment
That year, Robert began treatment under the care of Dr. Asim Amin, a medical oncologist at Atrium Health Levine Cancer. Robert took part in a clinical trial that would eventually change the standard of care for melanoma.
“The only way to move forward with the development of clinical care and new standards is through participation in clinical trials,” says Dr. Amin. “Robert was healthy with no comorbidities and indicated motivation to participate.”
Robert candidly says the clinical trial drug was rough on his body and eventually, he had to drop out of the trial. Still, the treatment was effective and Robert went into remission for six years.
A melanoma recurrence in 2020
Then, in 2020, Robert noticed what he thought was a blackhead on his chin.
“It was tiny and you could barely see it because I have a goatee, but I couldn’t get it to go away,” he says.
A biopsy confirmed the melanoma had returned and scans revealed the cancer had spread to Robert’s lungs, liver and shoulder muscle.
“The little blackhead on my chin was the canary in the coal mine for a lot of bigger issues,” he says.
In November 2020, Robert was a clinical trial volunteer for CheckMate 47, in which he received a drug combination that was later approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Scans showed the tumors were still progressing, so Amin switched Robert’s treatment to the standard of care, which included one of the drugs from his 2014 clinical trial. Just like in 2014, the drug worked to treat Robert’s melanoma, but his body didn’t tolerate it well.
“However, all of the tumors disappeared or materially shrank, so the drug did its job in the process,” he says.
Precision medicine as another option for melanoma treatment
Then, in spring 2023, some of the tumors recurred in Robert’s lungs and abdomen. Amin and Robert sought another option, this time in the form of precision medicine, also called targeted therapy.
“All patients with advanced disease should undergo genetic testing called NexGen sequencing,” says Amin. “Testing can identify mutations that can potentially be targeted with appropriate agents. Patients who may have exhausted standard treatment options and have progression of disease are particularly good candidates for precision medicine.”
Genetic testing revealed Robert’s tumor harbored an NTRK3 mutation. In May 2023, Robert began taking an oral medication, which targets his specific gene mutation.
By September, Robert had no evidence of disease. Nearly two years later, Robert is still cancer-free. He takes two pills a day and says he tolerates the medication well.
“It’s incredible,” he says. “I’m very fortunate.”
Robert is thankful for the access he had to the latest clinical trials and precision medicine through Amin and Levine Cancer.
“I would almost definitively say that if these options and clinical trials didn’t exist, I wouldn’t be sitting here today,” he says. “I have great admiration and respect for the people running and willing to participate in clinical trials. That’s where progress comes from.”
Robert’s life today
“I feel great and have zero limitations,” he says. “I ski, play pickleball and golf, and DIY projects around my house and yard. I live my life.”
Robert is turning 60 later this year and will celebrate with a European ski trip.
Robert says he couldn’t have done this without two very important people, Amin and his wife Teena. “She has been my primary caregiver, motivator, and advocate throughout my entire journey,” he says. His advice to others with a cancer diagnosis: “Make sure you’re working with a facility and doctors, like Dr. Amin, who are willing to look for options and who are plugged into what’s happening in oncology research. It’s an evolving space.”
He also encourages others to pay attention to their skin and see their dermatologist if something doesn’t seem right.
Learn more about melanoma care at Atrium Health Levine Cancer.
