Lucas, a Belgian boy, has made medical history by becoming the first child to be cured of a rare and deadly brain tumor known as diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG). Despite a grim prognosis, where most children with DIPG do not survive a year post-diagnosis, Lucas, now 13, has no trace of the tumor after participating in the BIOMEDE trial in France. He responded remarkably to the cancer drug everolimus, leading to the complete disappearance of his tumor.
Researchers, including French doctor Jacques Grill, are intrigued by Lucas’s unique recovery, attributing it to a rare mutation in his tumor that made it highly sensitive to the treatment. The medical team is now studying Lucas’s case in depth, creating tumor organoids to replicate his genetic abnormalities in the lab. Their goal is to understand the mechanisms behind his recovery and to potentially develop a drug that can mimic the effects seen in Lucas’s cells.
While this breakthrough offers hope for DIPG treatment, experts caution that developing a new drug could take 10-15 years. Nonetheless, the success of the BIOMEDE trial and increased research funding have led to optimism in the field, with specialists like David Ziegler believing that a cure for some DIPG patients may be on the horizon.
Read more at ScienceAlert…