'If I'd have known': Defence engineer backs new radiotherapy research after being treated for atypical brain tumour

A defence engineer diagnosed with a fast-growing brain tumour nine-years-ago has encouraged people in the same position to have radiotherapy as new research shows it can reduce future risks.

Andy Tudor, from Denmead, was 52 when he was diagnosed with an atypical meningioma in 2017. The brain tumour, which can be treated by surgery and radiation therapy, grows faster and has a higher chance of returning after removal compared to standard tumours.

The father-of-three underwent surgery a month after his diagnosis, but the tumour recurred in January 2022.

A new study led by experts from The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust the University of Liverpool suggests this risk can be reduced with radiotherapy after surgery.

In March 2022, Andy was offered Gamma Knife (stereotactic) radiotherapy and he has since been given the all-clear. He has since become a volunteer with The Brain Tumour Charity.

He said: “My meningioma was classed as atypical Grade 2 and although apparently completely removed by surgery, I wasn’t offered radiotherapy afterwards.

“I had a recurrence which was discovered on my fifth annual scan.

“It was successfully treated by stereotactic radiotherapy with no further long-term side-effects. If I’d known about this research at the time I’d have definitely requested radiotherapy after my surgery.”

The new study, published in The Lancet and presented to the European Association of Neuro-Oncology, is the first to compare giving patients radiotherapy after completely removing the tumour during surgery with active monitoring to see whether cancer returns.

Between 2016 and 2021, 157 patients were enrolled in the trial, 79 of which were monitored as usual and 78 people were given six weeks of daily radiotherapy sessions.

They were tracked for five years, and during this timeframe the tumour had returned in 30 per cent of people who were being actively monitored and 14 per cent of people who had radiotherapy, researchers found.

Chief investigator and first author of the study, Professor Michael Jenkinson, from The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust the University of Liverpool, said: “The trial tackles a question that has been debated for many years: whether patients with atypical meningioma should receive radiotherapy after surgery.

“I’m proud that our team has been able to generate robust evidence that can help patients and clinicians make better-informed decisions.”

Dr Simon Newman, chief scientific officer at The Brain Tumour Charity, said: “Meningiomas are the most common brain tumour in adults and account for 27 per cent of all brain tumour diagnoses.

“Between a quarter and a third of all meningiomas are grade 2 ‘atypical’ tumours and more likely to recur within five years. For those patients, the landmark Roam trial provides vital evidence to help weigh up their treatment options.

“The trial showed that five years after complete surgical removal of their tumour, the risk of recurrence was halved in patients who received radiotherapy compared with surgery alone – 14 per cent versus 30 per cent.

“While radiotherapy was associated with some mild short-term side-effects, there was no difference in quality of life, memory or thinking skills between the groups.

“Longer-term follow-up will be important to confirm these findings, and we look forward to hearing more about them.”