Doctor diagnosed with terminal brain tumor remains can:cer-free years after using his own pioneering treatment

Australian Professor Richard Scolyer was named one of the Australians Of The Year for his life-saving work on melanoma – the basis of which is being used to treat his own incurable cancer.

Professor Scolyer said he 'couldn't be happier' at news of his tumour not recurring. Pic: X/Richard Scolyer — Professor Scolyer said he ‘couldn’t be happier’ at news of his tumour not recurring. Pic: X/Richard Scolyer

An Australian doctor who applied his own pioneering research on melanoma to the incurable brain cancer he was diagnosed with almost a year ago is still cancer-free.

University of Sydney Professor Richard Scolyer said he “couldn’t be happier” after the results of a recent MRI showed there was still no sign of recurrence of his glioblastoma.

Prof Scolyer, whose life-changing melanoma treatment is credited with saving thousands of people, was found to have a tumour in June last year after having a seizure in Poland.

“By undertaking an experimental treatment with risk of shortening his life, he has advanced the understanding of brain cancer and is benefiting future patients,” the University of Sydney said as it announced the Australians Of The Year award for Prof Scolyer and Prof Long.

Professor Scolyer (right), pictured with Professor Long, has still had no sign of recurrence almost 12 months since being diagnosed with grade four brain cancer

The professors, who are also co-medical directors of the Melanoma Institute Australia, made the disease a curable one thanks to their immunotherapy approach, which activates a patient’s own immune system.

Speaking to Sky News’s Kay Burley back in February, Prof Scolyer said the “risk of major adverse reactions to these sorts of drugs is fairly high, but I’ve had it plain-sailing so far so I couldn’t be happier and I hope it stays like that for some time longer”.

Prof Long added: “We’ve shown that… you can activate the immune system and do it very well and this is now a foundational first step to change the field and the way drugs are explored in brain cancer.”