A Netflix star whose skull was rebuilt following a seven-hour operation to remove a tumour in his head has welcomed the findings of a new study which could lead to less invasive treatment options in the future.
Craig Russell, 47, was diagnosed with low-grade meningioma – a tumour that grows from the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord – in 2023.
The actor, who played Marc Antony in the Netflix drama Queen Cleopatra, said he is still recovering from his operation 18 months later.
Experts at the Brain Tumour Research Centre of Excellence at the University of Plymouth found targeting proteins on the surface of tumours could offer new treatments for meningiomas, as well as another type of nervous system tumour known as schwannoma.
The protein, known as Mertk, is overexpressed in a variety of cancers and promotes tumour growth.
Using meningioma and schwannoma tumour samples, scientists tested a drug treatment which stopped tumour cells growing in a lab.
It also decreased the number of immune cells, known as macrophages, to support the tumours.
Researchers are now working on how to progress their findings, published in the journal Oncogene, to clinical trials.
Dr Sylwia Ammoun, who led the research with centre director Professor Oliver Hanemann, said: “There are many drugs being developed to target Mertk, including some going through clinical trials for other cancer types where dosage and side effects in patients are already known.
“This would allow us to take these drugs directly into early phase clinical trial in patients with schwannomas and meningiomas.
“Thus this research offers hope to patients with meningioma and schwannoma tumours that a new treatment may be on the horizon.”
Mr Russell added: “This is incredibly positive and very exciting. To think that hopefully in the not too distant future people with low grade tumours can be treated in this way means that sufferers and their families won’t have to go through what we did.
“It’s a safer and speedier recovery process which of course therefore means less pressure on all concerned.”
Mr Russell, who is from Falmouth in Cornwall, received his diagnosis after suffering from migraine attacks and brain fog for months.
He said: “This development is huge. The surgery to remove my meningioma lasted nearly seven hours and even though the meningioma is a low grade tumour, there were risks attached to the removal of mine as it had been growing there for 15 years.
“This new treatment would eliminate these risks, including the pressure put on my loved ones and medical staff.
“I had to have my skull rebuilt and so even though the tumour is now a thing of the past, I’m still, 18 months later, recovering from the surgery.”
Dr Karen Noble, director of research, policy and innovation at Brain Tumour Research, of which Mr Russell is an ambassador, added: “We are delighted to have funded this research which offers new hope to patients.
“New kinder and less invasive treatments are needed to fight this devastating disease, and this work by the team at Plymouth is likely to be achieved by drugs already tested in people, which means it could benefit patients much sooner.”
