Man’s deadly brain cancer shows no signs of disease after taking new drug

Cure for brain cancer: Patients diagnosed with glioblastoma will be treated with the immunotherapy drug ipilimumab before standard treatments, which may include radiotherapy and chemotherapy (Image: Pexels)

In a rare case, a man who was diagnosed with glioblastoma, the deadliest form of brain cancer, in 2022 when he was 40, has shown no signs of relapse after starting an experimental drug.

While patients typically survive only 12–18 months after the initial diagnosis, and the five-year survival rate is low, Ben Trotman has completed 2 years and 8 months since beginning treatment. At 43, his scans are clear and show no signs of a tumour.

According to a press release, he was treated by Dr Paul Mulholland, a consultant medical oncologist at University College London Hospitals (UCLH), after being referred to The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery.

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Trotman was treated with ipilimumab, a drug used in targeted immunotherapy. An antibody called ipilimumab attaches itself to a protein on T cells, which are immune cells. According to the National Cancer Institute, it prevents cancer cells from inhibiting the immune system, allowing it to attack and eradicate the cancer.

Dr Paul Mulholland, consultant medical oncologist, said, “It is very unusual to have a clear scan with glioblastoma, especially when he didn’t have the follow-up surgery that had been planned to remove all of the tumour that was initially visible on scans.”

“We hope that the immunotherapy and follow-up treatment Ben has had will hold his tumour at bay—and it has so far, which we are delighted to see.”

Ben’s wife Emily, whom he married two months after receiving ipilimumab, shared the “traumatic experience” of learning about the deadly brain cancer and the “lucky break” they had. While the future still holds uncertainty, the two — who welcomed their first child in April 2025 — thank the immunotherapy treatment by Dr Mulholland for giving them a little hope.

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While the trials for the experimental drug had initially closed due to a lack of patients, Dr Mulholland has reopened them for those diagnosed with glioblastoma. Sixteen people will be enrolled in the trial over a period of 18 months, sponsored by UCL.

Patients diagnosed with glioblastoma will be treated with the immunotherapy drug ipilimumab before standard treatments, which may include radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

Patients diagnosed with glioblastoma will be treated with the immunotherapy drug ipilimumab before standard treatment that may include radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

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