Brain cancer is one of the deadliest cancers in the world today.
But one group is saying they have an experimental treatment plan that might work.
Researchers are saying this can give hope to thousands trying to survive this deadly disease.
CBS news reports on the new treatment.
It incorporates a chemotherapy drug delivered directly into patients’ tumors; the plan is said to give hope to people with a highly aggressive type of brain cancer.
Chris is a patient with brain cancer, particularly glioblastoma, which is often fatal. He is only 37 years old and his wife Laura sped up their wedding after he received the devastating news.
He told CBS news he was shocked when he found out his diagnosis. Chris was told that he did not have much time left and his wife was told that this would be her last summer with him so she should take off from work.
The couple kept struggling to find a way to save Chris’s life. They finally came across this experimental drug program in Lenox Hill Hospital, NYC.
Dr. Boockvar is leading the clinical trial for this experiment. Dr. Boockvar told CBS news, “So this clinical trial is novel because we're giving a high dose of the medication that we normally give by mouth directly into the tumor.”
How is the experiment conducted?
Doctors say a catheter is placed in the patient's groin and threaded to the brain, so that a greater amount of the drug goes directly to the tumor. Dr. Boockvar said this limits exposure to the rest of your body of that drug.
“Amundsen was the last patient enrolled in the first phase of the clinical trial, so he was allowed to receive a higher dose compared to other patients. The second phase is about to roll out and will determine the effectiveness of the treatment,” according to CBS news.
Doctors say the ultimate objective is to keep Chris's tumor from growing, and so far it has remained the same size. Chris said, “I'm hoping this kills the tumor completely. I know that may not happen but I'm still hopeful for it.”
Chris and his wife said the treatment allows them to at least have hope and think about the future, which they could not do before. They are looking forward to and planning to start a family soon.
