NEW DELHI– A 43-year-old man in the United Kingdom has been declared free of glioblastoma, one of the most aggressive and deadly forms of brain cancer, after receiving a groundbreaking immunotherapy treatment.
Ben Trotman, who was diagnosed with glioblastoma at the age of 40, became the first person in the world to receive the immunotherapy drug ipilimumab as part of a clinical trial at University College London Hospitals (UCLH).
Unlike conventional approaches, Trotman was given ipilimumab before undergoing any standard treatment—taking advantage of a period when the immune system is still strong. He then proceeded with the current standard of care: surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy.
More than two and a half years after the treatment, UCLH confirmed that Trotman is showing no signs of an active tumor.
“It is very unusual to have a clear scan with glioblastoma, especially when he didn’t have the follow-up surgery that had been planned to remove all of the tumor initially visible on scans,” said Dr. Paul Mulholland, the consultant medical oncologist at UCLH who led the trial. “We hope that the immunotherapy and follow-up treatment Ben has had will hold his tumor at bay, and it has so far, which we are delighted to see.”
Dr. Mulholland emphasized that a key aspect of the trial is administering the immunotherapy before other treatments begin, while the patient is still healthy enough to tolerate it.
Glioblastoma is the most common and aggressive form of primary brain tumor, with a typically grim prognosis—most patients survive just nine months after diagnosis.
“I was in a clinical trial of one, which is why we don’t know what the future holds,” said Trotman. “I am delighted that this new trial, with the same immunotherapy drug I received, is going ahead, and others will have the opportunity to take part. It will give people newly diagnosed with glioblastoma some hope.” (Source: IANS)
