Australian doctor Richard Scolyer is cancer-free after undergoing the world-first treatment for a brain tumor based on his own pioneering research.
BBC reported about his self-treatment journey earlier this year and called it a “gamble” as the detected cancer was in its fourth stage. It was so aggressive that most patients survived less than a year.
The 57-year-old underwent experimental therapy based on his own research on melanoma, a type of cancer that starts in the skin.
Dr. Scolyer, went ahead with the treatment, aided by his colleague and friend Professor Georgina Long. Both are co-directors of the Melanoma Institute Australia.
The team used a treatment based on immunotherapy, which teaches the body’s immune system to attack cancer cells.
Dr. Scolyer also became the first to be administered a vaccine personalised to his tumour’s characteristics.
After a tough couple of months, at the start of the year – spent dealing with epileptic seizures, liver issues, and pneumonia, Dr. 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 that could one day help roughly 300,000 people, who aer diagnosed with brain cancer globally every year.
