A clinical trial, codenamed POBIG, is underway at the Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester, UK to extend the lives of brain tumor patients. The trial is led by Dr. Gerben Brost, a radiation oncologist at the Christie, and is a significant milestone in brain cancer research. The goal of POBIG is to challenge the standard medical procedure of surgery first, then radiotherapy, and then chemotherapy by giving highly targeted radiotherapy before surgery.
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The team behind POBIG uses detailed MRI scans and highly targeted radiotherapy to reduce the likelihood of tumors growing back quickly. Patients in the trial undergo an MRI, which helps the surgeons determine where remnant cells are most likely to be left after surgery. A single dose of radiation is aimed precisely at that area, and patients then have surgery followed by radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
One of the first patients in the trial, Joel Rush, a director of a digital marketing agency, was diagnosed with glioblastoma in October of last year. Mr. Rush says the doctors explained the reasons for using radiotherapy before surgery and he was happy to participate in the trial. The results of the trial so far have been very encouraging, according to Dr. Brost.
This clinical trial offers a new approach to treating brain tumors, and the team behind POBIG hopes that by giving highly targeted radiotherapy before surgery, they will improve outcomes and extend lives. Brain tumors are difficult to treat, and treatment options have not improved significantly in decades. POBIG could be the breakthrough that brain cancer patients have been waiting for.