PHOENIX — It’s been five years since Sen. John McCain passed away from glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer.
Since then, Andy McCain, his son, has been involved in finding a cure.
After his father’s death, Andy became a member of the board of trustees at the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix. The institute, working with the Ivy Brain Tumor Center, is starting a trial to find new ways to target tumors, allowing patients to bypass the side effects of traditional medication.
Andy called the trial “inspiring.”
Twelve patients are currently enrolled in the trial, where the next step is to test the effectiveness of different drugs on tumors.
"I'm very excited. My passion is to develop clinical trials that actually move the needle in my lifetime, if that can happen," said Dr. Yoshi Umemura, chief of neuro-oncology at the Barrow Neurological Institute and chief medical officer at the Ivy Brain Tumor Center.
Andy’s advice to families of people with glioblastoma diagnoses is to never give up hope.
“Understand, it's a very tough disease and you will see some change in your family member that's suffering through. But always reassure them that you still love them as much as you always have,” he said. “Let's continue to hope and pray that we get to that cure sooner versus later.”
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