A doctor from Australia was miraculously declared cancer-free after he helped to develop a treatment for his own terminal brain tumor.
On Monday Richard Scolyer, a professor at the University of Sydney, took to social media to update his followers on his cancer treatment after receiving the heartbreaking diagnosis last summer.
In June 2023, Scolyer was told that he had an incurable glioblastoma, which is a type of cancer that starts as a growth of cells in the brain or spinal cord and grows quickly, resulting in the destruction of other healthy cells around it.
However, the professor recently took to X (formerly Twitter) to confirm that there is currently no sign of recurrence.
"I had brain #MRI scan last Thursday looking for recurrent #glioblastoma (&/or treatment complications). I found out yesterday that there is still no sign of recurrence. I couldn’t be happier!!!!!" he wrote in the caption alongside two photos. "Thank you to the fabulous team looking after me so well especially my wife Katie & wonderful family!"
As per the New York Post, Scolyer's health battle started back in May 2023, when the professor was doing a tour of Europe while speaking at medical conferences.
After a talk that was scheduled in Poland, the 57-year-old suffered a seizure and was forced to undergo testing where the tumor was discovered.
While patients don't usually survive past a year, according to a report by the BBC, Scolyer has seen a massive reduction in his glioblastoma after receiving personalized treatment over the past few months thanks to further investigation done by himself and fellow pathologist, Georgina Long.
Both medical professionals are an influential part of the Melanoma Institute Australia, and using the research they compiled on immunotherapy over the past decade, they were able to figure out how to reduce the deadly disease in order to increase Scolyer's life span.
So what did this involve?
Long opted for combination immunotherapy, which was administered to Scolyer before and after his surgery to remove the tumor.
As reported by the New York Post, this meant he was the first to be given "a vaccine tailored specifically to his tumor’s characteristics, which would help boost the cancer-detecting powers of the drugs."
The professor is now feeling much healthier and remains in good spirits after undergoing treatment.
"I'm the best I have felt for yonks," he said, noting that he's back to exercising every day - which for him involves a lot of jogging.
"It certainly doesn't mean that my brain cancer is cured... but it's just nice to know that it hasn't come back yet, so I've still got some more time to enjoy my life with my wife Katie and my three wonderful kids," he added.
We're extremely happy for the professor and the prospect that this development could change the lives of other patients, too.
