Australian doctor who underwent world-first brain tumour treatment dies

Pioneering Australian doctor Richard Scolyer has died three years after being diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumour.

Scolyer, 59, made global headlines with his decision to undergo the world’s first risky experimental treatment for glioblastoma at the hands of his friend Professor Georgina Long.

His work on advanced melanoma, once a death sentence, has saved countless lives, and encouraging findings in treating Scolyer’s brain tumor have triggered an early-stage clinical trial in the United States.

“Even in my darkest hour, I wanted to continue contributing,” Scolyer said in an open letter announcing his death.

“I write this letter as a final farewell to everyone I have had the privilege to love, share life’s adventures with, work with, and meet during a life that can only be described as a life filled with happiness, optimism, opportunity, and passion.”

One of the country’s most respected medical minds, Prof Scolyer has become a national treasure. He was named Australian of the Year alongside Long in 2024.

As co-directors of the Australian Melanoma Institute, over the past decade the duo’s research into immunotherapy, which uses the body’s immune system to attack cancer cells, has significantly improved outcomes for advanced melanoma patients worldwide. Half of the patients, less than 10 percent, are now essentially recovered.

Scolyer also noted that mentoring promising pathologists is a source of pride in his career.

“I have always been driven by the belief that we all have a responsibility to change the future of others and leave the world a better place… I have lived this ethos to the fullest.”

Being a ‘guinea pig’

Speaking to the BBC in 2024Scolyer said he refused to accept the diagnosis of shock as an inpatient.

Glioblastomas, located in the connective tissue of the brain, are highly aggressive, and the general protocol for treating them (immediate excision, followed by radiotherapy and chemotherapy) has changed little in two decades. Most patients with Scolyer-type tumors survive less than a year.

“It didn’t seem appropriate for me to accept certain death without trying anything,” Prof Scolyer said.

“Is this an incurable cancer? Damn it!”

Long was similarly determined. She spent the hours after being told her friend’s diagnosis mourning, then plotting.

In melanoma, his team found that immunotherapy worked better when a combination of drugs was used and administered before any surgery to remove the tumor. And so Prof Scolyer became the first brain cancer patient to receive pre-operative combination immunotherapy in 2023.

He was also given a vaccine personalized to the characteristics of his tumor, increasing the drugs’ ability to detect cancer.

Scolyer and Long knew the chances of a cure were “very slim” but hoped the experimental treatment would extend Prof Scolyer’s life.

Subsequent scans revealed a positive immune response in the brain, and a small clinical trial is now trying to replicate these results.

“This was science in action!” Distinguished melanoma surgeon John Thompson AO said in a statement paying tribute to his friend.

Describing Scolyer as a “cheerful, down-to-earth, Launceston lad” and a brilliant internationally recognized scientist, he said: “He will be remembered as a truly great Australian.”

Scolyer is survived by his wife and fellow pathologist Katie Nicholl and their three children.

In his letter, he said he was “perhaps lucky” that the physical and cognitive effects of brain cancer meant he was unlikely to be fully aware of his own decline in these final weeks.

“I write this knowing that my amazing family will always be there for me, just as they have been throughout my cancer journey… They are shining examples of the best of humanity and make me extremely proud.”

Scolyer, who documented his treatment online, also thanked Australians for the love shown.

“You laughed with me, cried with me, and gave me the courage and support to keep going right when I needed it most. I did not sugarcoat my journey, and I sincerely thank you for giving me the space and opportunity to share it with you, warts and all.”

He called on scientists to continue to be brave and inquisitive, and for governments to fund their innovations.

“We can and must continue to push the boundaries to move the field of cancer forward.”