Luton man’s brain tumour shrinks by half in therapy trial

A man’s brain tumour has shrunk by half in a matter of weeks due to a brand new radioactive therapy.

Paul Read, 62, from Luton, was the primary affected person to participate in a trial geared toward treating glioblastoma, a sort of most cancers that kills most sufferers inside 18 months.

He described the therapy, at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH), as “a lifeline”.

The physician who designed the trial mentioned the outcomes have been “remarkable for somebody whose tumour is so aggressive”.

The therapy entails injecting low ranges of radioactivity instantly into the tumour to kill off most cancers cells.

Surgeons first eliminated as a lot tumour as potential earlier than implanting a small medical machine, referred to as an Ommaya reservoir, below the scalp.

The drug ATT001, which is given weekly for 4 to 6 weeks, is potent over quick distances, inflicting deadly harm to tumour cells whereas sparing wholesome tissue.

Mr Read first seen a extreme headache final December and, two weeks later, his face dropped on one facet.

He had surgical procedure shortly after his analysis to take away as a lot of the tumour as potential, adopted by radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

In July, medical doctors discovered the tumour was rising once more and he was supplied a spot on the brand new CITADEL-123 trial at UCLH.

“I was fully expecting the tumour to return due to its aggressive nature. I know the outcome isn’t great and I was happy to explore anything else,” he mentioned.

“I’m not frightened by any of this. We are all dealt a hand of cards and you don’t know which ones you are going to get.

“It might be fantastic if this therapy helps me and if it does not, it does not… it could profit another person down the road.”

The trial was designed by UCLH consultant medical oncologist and chief investigator Dr Paul Mulholland.

He said: “Because it is focused on to the tumour cells, it’s totally highly effective at killing them.

“We’ve just gone through [Paul’s] scan results with him and his end of treatment scan shows a reduction in the tumour, which is really quite remarkable for somebody whose tumour is so aggressive.”

Dr Mulholland mentioned, because it was the primary human examine, they’d been cautious in their strategy, however later hoped to extend the dose of radiation and variety of sufferers.