Ian Brooks, a British resident suffering from a rare and aggressive form of cancer, whose body was struck by about 70 malignant tumors, according to the most optimistic forecasts of doctors, had only a few weeks to live.
The doctors admitted that they had tried almost every treatment option. However, despite disappointing projections, 47-year-old Brooks is currently in complete remission after becoming the first person to try a new cancer drug on himself.
The pictures show how much cancer has spread through the man's body. However, a second scan, taken just weeks after taking the new drug, showed an amazing improvement.
All tumors were destroyed. The only dark spots visible on the images show normal kidney and bladder function.
A clinical trial at Christie's Hospital in Manchester was so successful that it was decided to try the drug on other patients. Now, patients with the same rare form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a type of cancer that affects the lymph nodes, will also receive the drug.
“I don't think I would be here today without this drug. My doctor was so excited when he saw the results that he immediately showed them to me. I had 70 tumors and they all disappeared,”Brooks, a Bolton-based car mechanic, told Mail Online.
The man had a rare form of cancer called anaplastic large cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. He was diagnosed with the disease in 2001 and at first responded well to treatment, but returned in 2008. The man underwent stem cell transplant surgery, but the cancer returned again, spreading rapidly.
Promotional video:
Considering that according to the doctors he had only a few weeks to live, Brooks decided to take part in a clinical trial. The patient's condition began to improve within the first 24 hours after starting the drug and doctors at the largest cancer center in Europe were amazed to see the scan results.
After just 12 weeks of treatment, the oncologists found that his body was completely free of tumors. In their opinion, Brooks is currently in a state of complete remission.