Doctor, 57, with ‘worst of the worst’ brain tumor is cancer-free after world’s first treatment based on OWN discovery

A DOCTOR has revealed he has been cancer-free for a year after undergoing a world-first treatment based on his own ground-breaking research.

Professor Richard Scolyer was diagnosed with incurable grade 4 brain cancer after suffering a seizure in Poland last year.

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This type of cancer, known as glioblastoma, is so aggressive that the average survival rate is around 12 months.

“Unfortunately for me, I have one of the worst of the worst types of brain cancer, which has no cure,” said Professor Richard. ABC news last year.

“I’m not happy to accept this, I want to do something that will give me a fighting chance against this tumor,” he added.

The 57-year-old underwent an experimental therapy based on his own research into melanoma, a type of cancer that starts in the skin.

On Monday he wrote X to say he had an MRI last week and there were still no signs of recurrence.

“I’m very excited and delighted… I couldn’t be happier,” he said.

Prof Scolyer collaborated with his colleague and friend, Professor Georgina Long, both co-directors of the Melanoma Institute Australia.

I’m the best I’ve ever felt for yonks

Professor Richard Scolyer

The team used a treatment based on immunotherapy, which teaches the body’s immune system to attack cancer cells.

Melanoma research has shown that immunotherapy works best when a combination of drugs is given before surgery to remove a tumor.

Prof Scolyer became the first brain cancer patient in the world to receive pre-operative combined immunotherapy.

FUTURE TREATMENT

He told the BBC: “I’m the best I’ve ever felt for yonks.”

“This certainly doesn’t mean my brain cancer is cured… but it’s nice to know that it hasn’t come back yet, so I still have more time to enjoy my life with my wife Katie and my three wonderful children.”

Around 300,000 people worldwide are believed to be affected by glioblastoma.

The hope is that this experimental treatment will prolong Prof Richard’s life and open the door to clinical trials for other patients.

Professor Georgina said: “We generate a huge amount of data to create the basis for the next step, so we can help more people.

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“We’re not there yet.

“What we really need to focus on is showing that this type of preoperative combined immunotherapy approach works in a large number of people.”

Both Prof Richard and Prof Georgina were named ‘Australian of the Year’ earlier this year for their life-saving work treating melanoma.

Dr Roger Stupp, after whom the current protocol for treating glioblastomas is named, previously described Prof Richard’s prognosis as “bleak” and that it was too early to say whether the treatment was working.

He said he wanted to see him make it to 12 months, even 18, without recurrence before he got excited.

How common are brain tumors?

Around 2,000 Australians and 12,300 Britons are diagnosed with a brain or other central nervous system or intracranial tumor every year.

Doctors can test for the disease with MRI or CT scans, as well as neurological exams and biopsies.

The main treatments are surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, as well as supportive treatments to alleviate symptoms.

Signs depend on where the tumors are located in the brain and can often go unnoticed in the early stages of the disease, when it is easier to treat.

They include headaches, seizures, nausea, behavioral changes, vision or speech problems, and weakness that worsens over time.