After being told he had only months to live, a WWII veteran has shocked doctors by beating cancer – at the unlikely age of 101.
Born in 1916, the Sydney man benefited from a new immunotherapy treatment called Keytruda and the tumour on his face is now gone.
Bert Collins from Bankstown, who fought the Japanese in New Guinea and worked at Myer for 50 years, is believed to be the world’s oldest cancer survivor.
After being told he had only months to live, a World War 2 veteran (pictured) has shocked doctors by beating cancer – at the unlikely age of 101
The centenarian, who quit smoking while in his 60s, says he has lived past 100 due to ‘luck and attitude’, The Daily Telegraph reported.
After a stage 4 melanoma ravaged Bert’s face, brain, liver, bones and lungs, he turned to doctors at the Melanoma Institute.
Dr Alex Menzies decided to try immunotherapy, which works by enabling the body’s immune system to eliminate cancer.
‘There is a myth that older Australians shouldn’t be considered for treatment but newer immunotherapy treatments are highly efficient with minimal toxicity,’ said Dr Menzies.
Dr Alex Menzies (pictured, left, with Bert Collins) decided to try immunotherapy, which works by enabling the body’s immune system to eliminate cancer
‘We have many patients in their 80s and 90s receiving treatment.’
Bert was helped by the fact he was in better shape than many people decades younger than him, and responded well to the treatment.
‘We’ve come so far in research to find new and effective treatments for melanoma but I’d never had a patient as senior as Bert, so we didn’t know exactly how his body would respond to the treatment,’ said Dr Menzies.
Bert is delighted the tumour on his face is gone, which means he can shave again.
Bert (pictured) is working with the Melanoma Institute to raise funds and awareness, and warns people to wear hats and sunscreen and stay out of the sun
He is now speaking out about the dangers of skin cancer, and has a message for younger Australians.
Bert is working with the Melanoma Institute to raise funds and awareness, and warns people to wear hats and sunscreen and stay out of the sun.
His century of life experience has also given him a positive outlook.
‘I look at it this way, you can sit down and be miserable, or you can get up and fight back the best you can,’ he told the Today Show.
‘I will fight back, as fast as I can.’