Valley brain tumor center finding success with trial drug

PHOENIX (FOX 10) - The Ivy Brain Tumor Center at Barrow Neurological in Phoenix is conducting research on some of the most aggressive forms of brain tumors and having major success.

For Nick Stump, a brain tumor diagnosis in 2015 felt like a death sentence.

"It was one of those moments when everything just kind of goes blank -- really quiet -- it took some time to process," said Nick Stump, a patient.

He underwent surgery, but his tumor, a malignant meningioma, returned in 2018. That's when he came to the Ivy Brain Tumor Center at Barrow Neurological Institute. He had been accepted into a clinical trial.

"Nick was diagnosed with a rare form of brain tumor that normally happens on the membranes that cover the brain and the spinal cord," said Dr. Shwetal Metha.

Dr. Shwetal Metha is the Deputy Director of the Ivy Brain Tumor Center.

"That's our mission actually at the Ivy Brain Center is to bring in new mechanisms, new drugs that have not been tested in brain tumor patients and quickly identify if the drug works or not," explained Dr. Metha.

Dr. Metha says time is of the essence when it comes to treating brain tumors. This particular drug works by blocking the cancer cells from growing, and it's working.

Nick is now one of a few patients in the world who has his malignant meningioma under control.

"Overall things are going great, the medicine I'm taking is personalized to my own medical condition and effective at that," says Nick.