More than half of a patient's brain tumor has died after undergoing surgical gene therapy in April at Nagoya University Hospital, according to hospital officials.
"Based on magnetic resonance imaging, about 60 percent of the tumor has become necrotic and tumorous growth has been suppressed," a doctor said Monday.
"We have not observed any abnormalities believed to be caused by the gene-therapy drugs, and therefore can confirm the safety of the treatment," the doctor said in reference to the first case using a therapy developed entirely in Japan.
The officials said the patient, a housewife in her 30s from the Kansai region, is recovering well, although her brain is swollen and she suffers from mild headaches due to the drugs' side effects.