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- UCLH Trial Sees Glioblastoma Shrink by Half in Weeks
UCLH Trial Sees Glioblastoma Shrink by Half in Weeks
A new radioactive therapy, pioneered by University College London Hospitals (UCLH) NHS Foundation Trust, has succeeded in shrinking a man’s glioblastoma brain tumour by half in just a few weeks, a cancer that is particularly aggressive and typically proves fatal in the majority of cases within 18 months.
Paul Read, 62, who first experienced a severe headache in December 2023 and drooping of the face a few weeks later, was the first participant in the trial, which involved injecting low levels of radioactivity into the tumour to kill cancer cells, the BBC reports.
Initial surgery shortly after his diagnosis removed as much of the tumour as possible, before a small medical device called an Ommay reservoir was implanted under the scalp, with radiotherapy and chemotherapy also administered.
In July, it was found that the tumour was growing once more and Mr Read was offered a place on the trial.
He said: “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. 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 will be wonderful if this treatment helps me and if it doesn't, it doesn't... it may benefit someone else down the line.”
The trial itself was designed by Dr Paul Mulholland, consultant medical oncologist and chief investigator with UCLH, who explained that given that this was the first human study to be conducted, it had been approached with caution, but the hope is that the dose of radiation and the number of patients treated will both be increased.
Dr Mulholland is also one of our consultants here at Queen Square, exclusively treating brain cancer. He did his doctoral research in genomic profiling in brain cancer at the Cancer Research UK London Research Institute, which led to him focusing on developing biomarkers and targets for brain cancer therapy.
Dr Mulholland and our team specialise in advanced glioblastoma treatments, including radiotherapy and clinical trials. If you or a loved one are seeking expert care, get in touch with us today.
Paul Read, 62, who first experienced a severe headache in December 2023 and drooping of the face a few weeks later, was the first participant in the trial, which involved injecting low levels of radioactivity into the tumour to kill cancer cells, the BBC reports.
Initial surgery shortly after his diagnosis removed as much of the tumour as possible, before a small medical device called an Ommay reservoir was implanted under the scalp, with radiotherapy and chemotherapy also administered.
In July, it was found that the tumour was growing once more and Mr Read was offered a place on the trial.
He said: “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. 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 will be wonderful if this treatment helps me and if it doesn't, it doesn't... it may benefit someone else down the line.”
The trial itself was designed by Dr Paul Mulholland, consultant medical oncologist and chief investigator with UCLH, who explained that given that this was the first human study to be conducted, it had been approached with caution, but the hope is that the dose of radiation and the number of patients treated will both be increased.
Dr Mulholland is also one of our consultants here at Queen Square, exclusively treating brain cancer. He did his doctoral research in genomic profiling in brain cancer at the Cancer Research UK London Research Institute, which led to him focusing on developing biomarkers and targets for brain cancer therapy.
Dr Mulholland and our team specialise in advanced glioblastoma treatments, including radiotherapy and clinical trials. If you or a loved one are seeking expert care, get in touch with us today.
