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‘I’m just carrying on’: vaccine gives brain cancer patient years of extra life

It’s been seven years since Nigel French was woken up in the middle of the night by his wife after having a seizure, which came out of the blue after experiencing a mild headache – something he had simply put down to blocked sinuses...

In a different scenario, the impact of one of the most aggressive forms of brain cancer would have taken its toll by now, but thanks to a revolutionary vaccine, he is not only still alive but continuing to work and enjoy all that life has to offer. Using patients’ immune cells to target brain cancer, the vaccine works by injecting those cells back into the body, with that information shared so that the entire immune system recognises and attacks the…

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Featured

 Richard Scolyer: Melanoma doctor's high-stakes gamble to treat his brain cancer

Glioblastomas, found in the brain's connective tissue, are notoriously aggressive and the general protocol for treating them - immediate excision then radiotherapy and chemotherapy - has changed little in two decades. Survival rates have fared similarly. Still, only 5% of all patients live beyond five years. Desperate, Prof Long formulated a radical plan to treat Prof Scolyer based on what had worked in melanoma, but which had never been tested in brain cancer. And so, under the care of Prof Long and a team of experts, Prof Scolyer became the first brain cancer patient to ever have combination, pre-surgery immunotherapy.

 Richard Scolyer: Top doctor remains brain cancer-free after a year

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.

 Treatment Breakthrough for an Intractable Brain Cancer

An experimental drug significantly delayed the growth of a pernicious type of brain tumor, a major advance in a field that has made little progress for decades. Patients with low-grade gliomas who took the drug vorasidenib from Servier Pharmaceuticals after surgery staved off cancer growth for more than twice as long as patients who didn’t take the drug, a study published Sunday in the New England Journal of Medicine showed.

 Vaccine shown to prolong life of patients with aggressive brain cancer

Trial results suggest people with newly diagnosed glioblastoma could potentially be given extra years of life

Articles of Interest

Understanding glioblastoma, the most common—and lethal—form of brain cancer

It's even less understood than most.

A longtime glioblastoma survivor on how to keep surviving

Just 7% of people diagnosed with this aggressive brain cancer are still alive five years after their diagnosis, a milestone Hayden hit in June.

An Unlikely Weapon Against Aggressive Brain Cancer: The Zika Virus

A new study suggests that the Zika virus, known for causing brain defects in fetuses, could eventually be used to treat brain cancer by targeting and killing cancerous cells in the brain.

Astrocytes Feed Glioblastoma, Promoting Tumor Growth: Mouse Study

Starving glioblastoma tumors of the cholesterol made by astrocytes could suppress brain cancer progression.

Dear Sen. McCain: Here’s what I’ve learned from living with glioblastoma

I was saddened to hear that you received a diagnosis of glioblastoma. I also live with this particularly aggressive type of brain cancer. On the surface, you and I are very different. I am a 35-year-old dad with three sons aged 5 and under. I have a beard and listen to indie rock.

Enacting Siege Warfare to Successfully Starve and Kill Brain Tumors

Now, scientists at Tel Aviv University, and colleagues, may have developed a new weapon of cancerous mass destruction which effectively wipes out glioblastoma.

Glioblastoma Cells Imitate Immature Neurons to Invade the Brain

Neuron-like glioblastoma cells are the pioneers of deadly tumors’ spread through the brain, contributing to their devastating invasiveness, a study in mice finds.

Glioblastoma Is Bad News, Period

As you would figure, all sorts of approaches have been tried against GBM, with a conspicuous lack of success.

Glioblastoma, John McCain’s Form of Brain Cancer, Is Aggressive and Rarely Cured

Glioblastoma is the most aggressive type of brain tumor. It originates in the brain; it does not spread there from another part of the body. The cause is not known. This tumor has no relation to melanoma, the skin cancer for which Mr. McCain was treated in the past.

Glioblastoma: why these brain cancers are so difficult to treat

Surgical removal of the entire tumour is almost impossible, and in most cases less than 90% can be removed. Glioblastoma is often referred to as having finger-like tentacles that extend some distance from the main tumour mass into surrounding normal brain tissue.

Glioblastoma—Unraveling the Threads...

Glioblastoma is a type of astrocytoma, a brain tumor named for the star-shaped cells called astrocytes from which it forms. It is the most common form of brain cancer in adults, accounting for 35-40% of malignant brain tumors.

Her Sister Died of a Brain Tumor. Now She Was Having Similar Symptoms.

Humanity has planted flags on the moon, yet a moonshot for brain cancer has yet to be realized.

I Wasn’t Ready to Think About My Fertility—Then I Got Brain Cancer

After months of brain fog, memory problems, and word-finding issues I’d assumed were related to the stress of grad school, an MRI revealed a tumor in my brain—anaplastic astrocytoma grade 3, to be exact, in the same class as highly terminal glioblastoma.

Living with GBM – Sebastien’s Story

This diagnosis was a reminder to slow things down and enjoy the present with her, my family and friends.

Martin tells his story…

“Yes, I have to rethink my life but I’m interested in the wider conversation around dealing with a life-constraining illness and the positives that can be found in that and making positive life choices.”

Treating Kids' Cancer With Science And A Pocket Full Of Hope

To try to avoid these sorts of problems in future patients, Olson and his colleagues have been working on a substance they call Tumor Paint. It's a molecule that consists of two parts. One is a protein that can go into the bloodstream, and all by itself find a cancerous tumor. The other part is a fluorescent dye, so when a surgeon shines a light on the tumor, it glows. The hope is that painting tumors will allow surgeons to more easily distinguish malignancies from healthy tissue, so that operations can be less invasive, and less damaging.

When I found out about the brain tumour that would kill me, I faced my worst fears – but I chose to take it on

How does it feel when you’re told you have a rare, deadly disease? For Jessica Morris, it was the start of five years of hell, hope and facing up to her own mortality.

Resources

Glioblastoma Foundation

The mission of the Glioblastoma Foundation is to transform the standard of care for glioblastoma. We support the development of new drugs and other effective therapies for glioblastoma. Because each glioblastoma is different, it is likely that no one drug will work for everyone, and any therapies for glioblastoma will need to be targeted. Glioblastoma Foundation supports the development of targeted therapies for glioblastoma.

Glioblastoma Support Network

Our Mission is to provide a one-stop online resource for health care partners, and caregivers of anyone suffering from GBM from diagnosis to life after GBM.

My Grey Matters

Grey Matter really matters - and you are never more cognizant of this fact as the day that someone tells you that you have Brain Cancer.

Chatty Guy Talks Cancer Care and Hope

I’ll be sharing conversations from people working in spaces of faith, social justice, and creative education. I’ll be talking about care and vulnerability. I with and sharing my own story of being diagnosed with brain cancer

Glioblastoma Multiforme Brain Cancer/GBM

Designed to bring awareness to brain cancer, specifically GBM.

Stronger Than Brain Cancer

Designed to bring awareness to brain cancer, specifically GBM.

Voices of Glioblastoma

Voices of Glioblastoma™ is a podcast about glioblastoma and its impact on patients and families. Our goal in sharing these powerful stories is to create more awareness about glioblastoma and to highlight the need for better therapies moving forward.

Brain Tumour Research

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a fast-growing type of tumour of the brain or spinal cord. It is the most common type of primary malignant brain tumour in adults. GBMs almost never spread outside of the brain, spine or central nervous system to other parts of the body. They are very challenging to treat because of their complex nature, which is why a great deal of research in the UK and around the world is focused on this tumour type.