Luton man's brain tumour shrinks by half in therapy trial


A new radioactive therapy has shrunk a man’s brain tumour by half in just weeks. Paul Read, aged 62, from Luton, was the first patient to take part in a University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust trial aimed at treating glioblastoma, a cancer that kills most patients within 18 months. ATT001, a drug injected at low levels of radioactivity directly into the tumour, was found to cause lethal damage to cancer cells whilst sparing healthy tissue. Surgeons first removed as much tumour as possible before implanting a small medical device, called an Ommaya reservoir, under the scalp.

Following his diagnosis, Mr Read had surgery to remove as much of the tumour as possible, followed by radiotherapy and chemotherapy. When doctors found the tumour was growing again in July, he was offered a place on the new CITADEL-123 trial at UCLH. Although he was not afraid of the treatment’s outcome, Mr Read said that if the treatment did not help him, it may benefit someone else down the line.

The trial was designed by Dr Paul Mulholland, UCLH consultant medical oncologist and chief investigator. Dr Mulholland said the results were remarkable for somebody with such an aggressive tumour, and that they had been cautious in their approach. As it was the first human study, they later plan to increase the dose of radiation and number of patients to develop a more extensive study.

Cancer Research UK has identified glioblastoma as one of the rare cancers that are more common in certain age groups. There are 2,200 people diagnosed with glioblastoma every year in the UK. The survival rate for glioblastoma patients is relatively low, and has remained unchanged for more than three decades

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