Good news for Charlie after cancer treatment in Mexico

A SCAN has revealed that a boy battling cancer for the third time has no new growth of the disease.

Charlie Ilsley, 13, of Buckingham Drive, Emmer Green, was first diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2015 and now has a tumour on his spine.

He underwent three weeks of a new form of immunotherapy treatment, known as CAR-T cell treatment, in Mexico City in the hope of saving his life. He flew home this week after an MRI scan.

It showed no new growth from March 11 and he will now return to Mexico on August 5 for a follow-up scan to see if the treatment has had an effect.

Charlie, who currently has no symptoms, was under the supervision of Dr Jason Williams, director of interventional oncology and immunotherapy at the Williams Cancer Institute, which also has branches in America and China. Mrs Ilsley said: “Charlie had his scan and it showed no new growth from March 11 and he’s been off treatment the entire time.

“Dr Williams wasn’t expecting anything to happen yet as it’s too early but he wanted a baseline to compare as we are coming back to Mexico around August 5 for the next scan. He also said it (the tumour) looks different, not solid. He thinks this is the immunotherapy working.”

The treatment has cost £25,000, which has been raised by the public and supporters.

The family now have to raise a further £4,000 for flights, the next scan and another stay when they return next month.

An update on a Facebook page for Charlie set up Claire Brown, from Cheltenham, who led the online fundraising drive, said Mrs Ilsley cried when she was told the good news. But she said there was just £500 left in the bank and more money was needed.

Mr and Mrs Ilsley had had to forgo work to go to Mexico with their son and will have to do the same next month, although the trip won’t be as long.

Mrs Brown wrote: “Obviously, things would be a lot harder, even impossible, without the love, kindness and generosity of so many people. So many of you have invested in Charlie and we’re not going to give up now. We love this boy. His courage is awe inspiring. He’s captured so many hearts around the world.

“This is working. Charlie is heading towards what was considered a pipe dream a few weeks ago. Let’s finish what we all started. Let’s get him living the next chapter of his life hopefully cancer free.”

Earlier this year, the Ilsleys were told that the chemotherapy and immunotherapy treatment that Charlie underwent had failed. Since then they have been searching for a new trial treatment.

Charlie, who attends Highdown School in Emmer Green, was given the all-clear for the second time in August after radiation treatment in Turkey. But in November they were told the disease had returned after a lumbar puncture showed cancer cells in his spinal fluid.

A scan in March showed the disease in his spine and elsewhere. Charlie had been receiving the drugs etoposide and topotecan but these treatments have ceased as they weren’t working.

After his diagnosis in 2015, he underwent a 10-hour operation and had 31 sessions of radiotherapy followed by chemotherapy before being given the all-clear. Then in spring 2018 two tumours were discovered on his spine.

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