A Groundbreaking US Trial for Brain Cancer: Richard Scolyer's Hope and the Future of Treatment
In a groundbreaking development, former Australian of the Year Professor Richard Scolyer is now one step closer to finding a cure for his aggressive brain cancer. In February 2026, a world-first clinical trial to determine whether immunotherapy drugs can revolutionize the approach to glioblastoma opened in the United States, marking a significant milestone in Scolyer's journey.
Led by Australian medical oncologist Professor Mustafa Khasraw from Duke University in North Carolina, the trial aims to help patients diagnosed with the same lethal brain tumour as Scolyer. The trial, known as the GIANT trial (for Glioblastoma Immunotherapy Advancement with Nivolumab and Relatlimab), is a collaborative effort involving clinicians and scientists from various institutions worldwide.
Scolyer, who was diagnosed with IDH wild-type glioblastoma in mid-2023, expressed his excitement about the trial's commencement. He believes that this trial could potentially make a significant difference in treating brain cancer, a disease that has barely seen conventional treatment advancements in almost two decades.
The trial will be conducted in two stages. The first stage will focus on checking the safety of the experimental treatment on a small number of newly diagnosed patients. The second stage will involve a larger group of patients receiving a random assignment of one or two immunotherapy drugs (Nivolumab and Relatlimab) before surgery, followed by combining them with more conventional treatments (radiotherapy and chemotherapy) after surgery.
Scolyer's colleague, medical oncologist Professor Georgina Long, proposed trying immunotherapy after successfully treating advanced melanoma patients. This risky plan recognized the need for innovative approaches in treating brain cancer, which has seen little progress in conventional treatments.
Despite facing devastating news when the tumour returned last March, Scolyer has defied expectations and continued to deteriorate. He has been training for a charity bike ride in Tasmania, but his efforts were interrupted by a fall that resulted in two fractured ribs. Despite his challenges, Scolyer remains hopeful that this pioneering approach to brain cancer will benefit patients worldwide.
Khasraw, the study principal investigator, emphasizes the collaborative nature of the trial, bringing together experts in neuro-oncology to develop innovative treatments. While three patients have been enrolled, and a fourth is in the early screening stage, Khasraw remains cautious, stating that the trial's success will be determined by the data, not just the survival of patients like Scolyer.
The trial's success is expected to be known in about two years, and a peer-reviewed paper on the treatment developed by Long, published in the international journal Nature Medicine, laid the groundwork for the trial. In Australia, the trial will be conducted by researchers at the Brain Cancer Centre, founded by radio presenter Carrie Bickmore after her husband's battle with brain cancer.
The Australian leader of the trial will be Associate Professor Jim Whittle, a neuro-oncologist at Melbourne's Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. The trial will focus on newly diagnosed glioblastoma patients, as immunotherapy is believed to have a better chance of working on tumours before they have been treated with radiotherapy or chemotherapy.
