A patient with a fatal brain tumor recovered in Britain: what treatment helped

In the UK, a 41-year-old man has overcome an aggressive form of cancer thanks to an experimental treatment. Ben Trotman was the only participant in a study of a new, experimental immunotherapy regimen. Moreover, he underwent only one course of the innovative treatment and recovered.

This was reported by the British charity National Brain Appeal. The foundation is currently raising money to provide Dr. Ben Trotman with a grant to continue his research.

Doctors diagnosed Trotman with glioblastoma in October 2022. This is usually a fatal oncology, and even after successful treatments, only 10% of patients live for several more years. Trotman was referred to Dr. Paul Mulholland, who suggested that the patient undergo an experimental course of immunotherapy before the standard course of treatment.

The experiment never took place: Ben Trotman turned out to be the doctor's only volunteer. He underwent the first course of immunotherapy. But it made the man feel sick. Trotman had to be hospitalized due to severe headaches.

A week after his six-week course of radiation and chemotherapy, in January 2023, Ben married his fiancée Emily. He is currently continuing his monthly chemotherapy. But last summer, his scans showed no signs of a tumor in his brain. His last scan this year showed the same thing.

Dr. Mulholland believes that the man's immune system destroyed the disease on its own.

What is glioblastoma?

Glioblastoma is considered the most aggressive tumor that can form in the brain. According to statistics, patients have a 10 percent chance of living another five years after diagnosis. The average life expectancy with this diagnosis is 14 to 16 months.

Most often, glioblastoma occurs in men aged 50 to 60 years. There is no connection between the development of glioblastoma and the presence of other types of cancer in the history.

What is immunotherapy?

Immunotherapy is not a new method of cancer treatment. It involves the use of substances that enhance and stimulate the patient's immune system to destroy cancer cells by the body's own efforts.

Immunotherapy is widely used by oncologists around the world to treat various types of cancer.

And if you had chickenpox as a child, it is important to know that the virus that causes this disease cannot remain dormant indefinitely. It can reappear at an older age.

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