Top-Arzt ist ein Jahr nach der weltweit ersten Behandlung weiterhin hirnkrebsfrei

>A year after undergoing a world-first treatment for glioblastoma, Australian doctor Richard Scolyer remains cancer-free.

>The esteemed pathologist’s experimental therapy is based on his own pioneering research on melanoma.

>**Prof Scolyer’s subtype of glioblastoma is so aggressive most patients survive less than a year.**

>But on Tuesday the 57-year-old announced his latest MRI scan had again showed no recurrence of the tumour.

> Prof Scolyer is one of the country’s most respected medical minds, and was this year named Australian of the Year alongside his colleague and friend Georgina Long, in recognition of their life-changing work on melanoma.

>As co-directors of the Melanoma Institute Australia, over the past decade the pair’s research on immunotherapy, which uses the body’s immune system to attack cancer cells, has dramatically improved outcomes for advanced melanoma patients globally. **Half are now *essentially* cured, up from less than 10%.**

> In melanoma, Prof Long – herself a renowned medical oncologist – and her team discovered that immunotherapy works better when a combination of drugs is used, and when they are administered before any surgery to remove a tumour. And so, Prof Scolyer last year became the first brain cancer patient to ever have combination, pre-surgery immunotherapy.

>He is also the first to be administered a vaccine personalised to his tumour’s characteristics, which boosts the cancer-detecting powers of the drugs.

>**After a tough couple of months of treatment at the start of the year – spent dealing with epileptic seizures, liver issues and pneumonia** – Prof Scolyer says he is feeling healthier.

> **The results so far have generated huge excitement that the duo may be on the cusp of a discovery which could one day help the roughly 300,000 people diagnosed with brain cancer globally each year.**

Huge progress here, even if it turns out to just be a temporary fix. Though it appears that side effects may be difficult in the beginning, there seems to be a lot of hope here. Cancer, and brain cancer in particular, is a very cruel disease. It’s encouraging to know that we are making gains against it.