In Health Watch:Brain cancer is one of the most deadly cancers to get.That&In Health Watch:Brain cancer is one of the most deadly cancers to get.That's because it's usually very difficult to treat.Now doctors at a New York hospital are using an experimental procedure that blasts the chemo directly onto tumors.Drew Levinson reports.60-year-old Lois Cole is looking for more time and hopes a new experimental treatment will give it to her.Lois says, "I've already reached my 11th month and I'm hoping that this will offer hope to me and other people".She suffers from a brain cancer known as Glioblastoma.Most people with it have 12 to 15 months to live.Dr. John Boockvar says, 'malignant brain tumors carry a poor prognosis in that they are difficult to treat."But doctors at New York Presbyterian- Weill Cornell are trying something new for people like Lois who have had a recurrence.They snake a small catheter from the groin inside the body up into the brain.. which leads them leads right to the doorstep of the tumor.They deliver one medicine to break down what's known as the blood brain barrier...it's there to keep toxins out. Think of it as a protective gate.Dr. Boockvar says, 'we open the gate and we literally spray the chemotherapy agent onto the tumor."This is all part of the first phase of a clinical trial. So far only six patients have had this treatment. And doctors are still trying to make sure it's safe.They're already seeing a positive response in some patients.Dr. Boockvar says, "MRI has shown that the tumors are shrinking."There are risks including hemorrhage or seizure.Still Lois says it's worth it.Lois Cole says, 'I am hoping it will elongate my life and give me the opportunity to do more things that I would love to do."Doctors hope this will not only be a breakthrough for brain cancer, but for many neurological diseases.







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