Man’s Deadly Brain Tumor Vanishes After Taking Breakthrough Drug: ‘Lucky Break in a Devastating Situation’

Ben Trotman was given a grim diagnosis in 2022 — glioblastoma, an aggressive and incurable brain cancer with a typical life expectancy of just over a year. But today, the 43-year-old father is cancer-free, thanks to a promising new clinical trial.

Trotman became the first—and only—participant in a University College London Hospitals (UCLH) study that tested the immunotherapy drug ipilimumab. He took the drug before beginning standard treatment, and nearly three years later, there are no signs of a tumor on his scans.

“It’s very unusual to see a clear scan with glioblastoma, especially since Ben never had the follow-up surgery that was planned,” said Dr. Paul Mulholland, the oncologist who led the trial. “We hope this combination of immunotherapy and follow-up treatment continues to hold the tumor at bay.”

Ben’s diagnosis came as a complete shock. At 40, he was otherwise healthy when doctors discovered the malignant tumor. Glioblastoma kills more than 10,000 Americans annually and spreads quickly through the brain. With no known cure, the median survival is just over 14 months, even with surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy.

But thanks to a referral from a friend, Trotman was connected with Dr. Mulholland at The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery. There, he began the experimental trial. Unlike traditional methods, the trial involved boosting the immune system before conventional treatments began.

“The key is giving patients immunotherapy while they’re still strong enough to handle it,” said Mulholland. After the drug, Trotman underwent radiation and chemo.

Today, he’s not only healthy but also rebuilding his life. He married his wife, Emily, in 2023, and the couple welcomed their daughter, Mabel, this past April.

“Getting this diagnosis was the most traumatic experience,” Emily said. “We went from thinking Ben was perfectly healthy to being told he had months to live. Meeting Dr. Mulholland changed everything. It felt like a miracle in an otherwise devastating situation.”

Though doctors can’t say what the future holds, the encouraging results have brought the couple renewed hope. “We’re focused on living in the moment, raising our daughter, and reclaiming the life we thought was lost,” Ben said.

The success of this trial has sparked hope beyond the Trotman family. Dame Siobhain McDonagh, a UK Member of Parliament who lost her sister Margaret to glioblastoma in 2023, has raised over €1 million to launch the next phase—dubbed “Margaret’s Trial.”

“When Margaret was diagnosed, she was stunned to learn that brain cancer treatments hadn’t progressed in decades,” McDonagh said. “Changing that became her final mission, and I’ve made it mine in her memory.”

Dr. Mulholland credited Margaret’s advocacy as instrumental in getting the new trial off the ground. “She asked me, ‘What can I do to help find a cure?’” he recalled. “Thanks to her and Siobhain’s tireless work, we’re giving more patients a fighting chance against this devastating disease.”