In Belgium, a boy (13) became the first person in the world to beat a fatal brain tumor. He was treated with a drug that had never worked before on this type of tumor. Typically, 98 percent of patients die within the first five years after diagnosis.
‘Diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma’ (DIPG), a tumor in the brain stem, was previously considered incurable. Belgian Lucas was one of hundreds of children in Europe who develop DIPG every year. The average survival time after diagnosis is only about nine to fifteen months. Only two percent of those affected live longer than five years and there is no cure yet.
Lucas’ tumor was discovered when he felt unwell and even lost consciousness while on holiday with his parents (see symptoms video above). The doctors who discovered the cancer gave him little chance of survival. A small hope lay in treatment with the drug everolimus, which is often used for other types of tumors but has never worked for DIPG.
The tumor shrank
It is designed to block mTOR, the protein involved in the division and growth of cancer cells. For Lucas, taking the medication actually made his tumor smaller. “Through a series of MRI scans, I was able to see the tumor completely disappear,” said the treating physician, Jaques Grill. “I don’t know of any other case in the world like this.” The therapy has worked in other children so far, but unlike Lucas, their tumors did not disappear completely.
Further research will follow
Seven years later – Lucas is now 13 years old – the cancer is no longer visible in the boy’s body. “Lucas has overcome all obstacles. His case gives hope to many people,” the doctor said. It is still unclear why everolimus worked so well for the Belgian. It’s possible he had a rare mutation that made his cells more sensitive to the drug.
Why Lucas was able to be healed is still under investigation. The goal is to be able to offer successful therapy. “This case is incredibly exciting. Brain tumor oncology is increasingly relying on precision medicine to see which drugs work and which don’t. “But you should not generalize the matter, because studies have already shown that the drug does not always work,” neurologist Christoph Kleinschnitz from the University Hospital of Essen told “Bild.”
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
