BRAZOS COUNTY, Texas — Only 40 percent of people diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer, survive within the first year of the diagnosis.
That number drops to 17 percent after the second year.
Though treatment options have been limited, a team of researchers from Texas A&M may be on to finding another option.
It's a result of a canine clinical trial.
Former Bryan Firefighter, Rayse Richardson, did not have glioblastoma but was diagnosed with another form of brain cancer about 15 years ago.
"Any kind of treatment whether it's proven or not, you're going to try because if not, you're going to die anyway," Richardson, a brain cancer survivor said.
Richardson went through chemo and a total of five surgeries until he was declared cancer-free in 2017.
"To have anything really, any glimpse of hope is very imperative," Richardson said.
Results from a canine clinical trial done by Texas A&M researchers are showing a glimmer of hope for people battling glioblastoma.
Researchers from the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences’ (CVMBS) Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital found brain tumors in dogs shrunk after they injected them with an immunotherapy agent.
"Anytime any kind of research can be done that will benefit those of us who have had cancer or will have cancer benefits all species," Amy Gross, of Navasota said.
Amy Gross once worked at Texas A&M residence and watched doctors start the research connecting animal and human medicine.
In this case, researchers believe the treatment can work just as well for people because dogs and humans' gliomas are molecularly similar.
A positive sign for people like Richardson.
"When you're the person with cancer, like I say, you'll try anything and everything," Richardson said.
Researchers from Northwestern University and ImmunoGenesis also helped with the study.
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