A British man’s “aggressive” brain tumor was reduced by “50 per cent” following a first-of-its-kind treatment for a type of cancer that usually kills patients within 18 months.

The experimental trial was tested on Paul Read, a 62-year-old engineer who was diagnosed with glioblastoma – a cancer that kills most patients within a year and a half – in December 2023.

To launch the experimental treatment underway at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH), doctors asked surgeons to remove as much of the tumor as possible, then implant a small device called an Ommaya reservoir just under his scalp . according to the BBC.

Once the device was placed, doctors injected low levels of radioactivity directly into the tumor once a week for six weeks. This process aimed to kill cancer cells while leaving healthy tissue intact.

The trial’s findings were released Tuesday and yielded some surprising results.

Brain scans revealed Read’s tumor had “reduced in size by 50 per cent” by the end of his six-week treatment.

“We just went over (Paul’s) scan results with him and his end-of-treatment scan shows a reduction in the tumor, which is really quite remarkable for someone whose tumor is so aggressive.” , said UCLH consultant Dr Paul Mulholland. medical oncologist and chief investigator who designed the trial.

“This trial was a lifesaver because the probability of survival, according to the data, was a year or less for me,” Read said. in a press release from UCLH.

No side effects were reported by Read, other than just feeling “a little more tired.”

Read’s symptoms initially began with a headache during a work trip to South Korea and the pain continued when he returned to his small town just north of London. Two weeks later, his face tilted to the side and he was diagnosed with glioblastoma.

Soon after, his doctors tried to remove as much of the tumor as possible, then he underwent radiation and chemotherapy, but the treatment didn’t last as the tumor started growing again in July.

The CITADEL-123 trial at UCLH was offered to Read and he “was happy to explore anything that could treat his condition”.

“We’re all dealt a hand of cards and you don’t know which ones you’re going to get,” Read added.

Before seeing the remarkable results, he said: “It would be wonderful if this treatment helped me and if it doesn’t, it doesn’t…it might benefit someone else more late. »

The medical team has begun treating a second patient with the same procedure and plans to ultimately treat up to 40 patients in Phase 1 of the trial.

“I am very pleased that this clinical trial is now open. This is potentially a very powerful approach and I am already extremely pleased with the results of the first patient,” said Dr. Mulholland.