Professor Richard Scolyer will undergo surgery as he prepares for what could be the final stage in his brave fight for life.
The 2024 Australian of the Year, 58, was diagnosed with an ‘incurable’ grade four brain cancer in June 2023 after he suffered headaches and seizures while on holiday.
His cancer, a glioblastoma, is often referred to as ‘the worst’ sort of cancer because of its aggressive nature, with most sufferers surviving less than a year after diagnosis.
The bulk of the tumour was stripped shortly after the diagnosis.
The followed a series of experimental therapies based on his own melanoma research, including immunotherapy, ‘debulking’ surgery and a ‘cancer vaccine’ .
In May last year, the University of Sydney professor declared that he had been cancer-free for nearly 12 months.
But five months later, the decorated scientist revealed a recent MRI had shown ‘a tiny new focus of enhancement’.
On Monday, Professor Scolyer will undergo surgery at Chris O’Brien Lifehouse in Camperdown to ‘explore’ the changes in his brain.
Professor Richard Scolyer discovered he had a brain tumour in 2023 beginning a major health battle
Professor Scolyer and his colleague Professor Georgina Long were jointly announced Australians of the year in 2024, in recognition of their ground-breaking work studying skin cancer
If it is indeed a recurrence of the tumour, surgeons will work to remove as much of it as they can without affecting the professor’s brain function.
‘Obviously I’m worried it’s a recurrence,’ Professor Scolyer told the Sydney Morning Herald.
‘It’s not my area of expertise to interpret radiology or even manage this sort of disease long term, but I know the natural history of this disease is that most people get a recurrence.’
While initially optimistic he and his expert peers would find a treatment to reverse the aggressive cancer’s incurable reputation, Professor Scolyer said he statistically may only have another three to six months to live.
‘I feel more accepting that it is incurable now than I did at the start. I feel very fortunate that I’ve lived as long as I have, but whether that’s just luck or related to this previously untried treatment, no one knows,’ he said.
He admitted he’s struggled emotionally since the recent scan but vowed to continue fighting.
‘The opposite is that I feel very fortunate to have the life that I’ve led. ‘I’m not ready to go. I’ll keep fighting on,’ he said.
Professor Scolyer became the world’s first brain cancer patient to have pre-surgery combination immunotherapy, which helps teach the body’s immune system to attack cancer cells.
He and his colleague Professor Georgina Long, who are co-directors of the Melanoma Institute Australia, were jointly awarded Australian of the Year in 2024 for their ground-breaking study into the skin cancer.
Professor Scolyer has widely shared his battle online to raise awareness of treatment options and progress being made on new methods.
The 57-year-old father-of-three is headed back for surgery after a concerning discovery last year
Professor Scolyer posted two scan images last year of the potentially recurred tumour, with the most recent on the right
After his initial brain scan Professor Scolyer said he knew its revelation of an area of light, cloudy matter in the top-right corner of his skull was concerning.
‘I’m no expert in radiology, but… in my heart I knew it was a tumour,’ he said.
The discovery spurred him to consider whether his research into melanoma might be relevant to treating his own brain cancer.
‘It didn’t sit right with me, to just accept certain death without trying something. It’s an incurable cancer? Well bugger that!’
Around 300,000 people worldwide are diagnosed with glioblastoma each year.
