Doctors from France have, for the first time, completely cured a child suffering from brainstem glioma, a rare brain tumor. This was reported by AFP.
At the age of six, Lucas, a Belgian boy, was diagnosed with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), a rare type of brain tumor. According to French doctors, he did not have long to live. However, in 2024, the tumor was completely healed in the 13-year-old child.
This rare disease is diagnosed in approximately 300 children in the United States and 100 in France each year. Most survive less than a year after diagnosis. Two years later, about 10% are still alive.
The boy and his family traveled from Belgium to France to be among the first patients in the BIOMEDE trial, which is testing new drugs for DIPG. The other seven children in the study survived years after diagnosis, but only Lucas’ tumor completely disappeared.
Lucas responded well to the cancer drug everolimus. The treatment process lasted several years. Doctors decided not to stop it even after an MRI showed no tumor.
Doctors believe Lucas’ tumor has an extremely rare mutation that makes his cells more sensitive to treatment. They are now trying to reproduce this mutation in the laboratory to develop a treatment for children with DIPG. They noted that drug development usually takes 10-15 years.
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Source: Gazeta
Barbara Dickson is a seasoned writer for “Social Bites”. She keeps readers informed on the latest news and trends, providing in-depth coverage and analysis on a variety of topics.