'Fit and healthy' dad who smelt caramel ended up with aggressive brain cancer
After multiple examinations, the dad-of-four received the devastating news he had stage 4 IDH-wildtype glioblastoma, the most aggressive type of brain cancer.
Since receiving his diagnosis, the 57-year-old, from Stoke-on-Trent, has received radiotherapy and chemotherapy, the only treatment options offered through the NHS for his type of cancer.
The NHS identifies surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and targeted medications as conventional treatments for glioblastoma.
In 2005, you were on MySpace. Scrolling through your iPod. Watching the first videos on YouTube. 👾 That was also the last time glioblastoma treatment saw a major breakthrough. Soon, that changes. We're ushering in a new era of genomic testing designed just for glioblastoma —… pic.twitter.com/mx0RdcIYkJ
— Glioblastoma Foundation (@glioblastf) July 16, 2025
Currently, his relatives are trying to raise £350,000 for a potentially life-extending treatment in Germany, with total costs expected to reach approximately £464,000.
Antonio, Costa's 27-year-old son who works as a quantity surveyor in Stoke-on-Trent, said: "All of our lives have just been flipped upside down. His sense of smell changed and he kept getting this strange, sweet caramel smell. We didn't think much of it. We definitely didn't know it was a symptom of something so serious."
The alteration in Costa's sense of smell remained the only sign anything was wrong.
Antonio continued: "It's really bizarre because symptoms-wise, he didn't have much at all. On the odd occasion, he would have a caramel smell, a sweet smell. But it would happen very quickly and once a month or so."
"From what we now know they define them as mini seizures; they last seconds; nothing happens to you while you do it."
Costa initially suspected he might be dealing with epilepsy, something he had experienced earlier in life.
Antonio said that, as a family, they didn't really look into it but advised his dad to get a scan, thinking it was likely linked to his past epilepsy.
"We weren't really thinking anything of it at all as he was a really fit and healthy man"
However, in April, the family faced a horrible truth - Costa was found to have stage 4 brain cancer.
Antonio said: "We were shellshocked. We didn't really know how to take it.
"We were worried, scared, nervous, but then still trying to get to grips with the situation and what was going on because he had no symptoms. It just kind of proves that you can be a fit and healthy man, yet still have something wrong with you."
Antonio continued: "My dad is a fighter. He's always fought all of his life. His nickname has been Rambo all of his life, because he's just known to get through any battle he's had to face.
"He was shocked. He was taken aback. He was stunned. He didn't know how to react and I still don't think he knows how to react. The only things the NHS offer, which is the massive problem and why we're doing the fundraising, is a course of radiotherapy and chemotherapy. In the last 20 years the treatments haven't changed for glioblastomas in the UK.
"So it's quite a scary thing to be diagnosed with, knowing that there's not much the NHS can do. Put it this way, they're telling us in the consultancy meetings not to cut back on anything and just enjoy your life, in the most harrowing way possible."
The family refuses to give up hope. Inspired by success stories, they are exploring alternative therapies abroad, such as DC vaccine therapy in Munich, oncothermia as part of a clinical trial in London, a three-phase immunotherapy programme at the IZOK Clinic in Cologne, and peptide vaccine treatment from a specialist lab in Tübingen.
The family needs to raise around £464,000 for these treatments, and have already managed to fundraise more than £260,000.
If you want the link to his GoFundMe, follow this link.
Costa has recently completed his radiotherapy and chemotherapy courses and has demonstrated an encouraging response, although it remains too early to assess the complete impact of these treatments.
Antonio said: "It's harrowing what's going on with treatments for GMBs and the progress they've made over the last 20 years, not just for my dad but for every other patient who is suffering with the same thing.
"It's almost like you get this and 'bye-bye', because the diagnosis is a grade four brain tumour glioblastoma, that is unmethylated and it's IDH wild type. Those two things mean it's the worst type of brain cancer you can get. But in reality there is so much that can be offered."
Recommended reading:
'Breakthrough' for hay fever sufferers as new drug offers 'improved life'
Can cyclists be fined for speeding on UK roads? Here is all you need to know
John Torode and Gregg Wallace 'off with each other' and 'were never friends'
The overwhelming wave of solidarity from their community has profoundly touched the family.
Antonio continued: "My dad is a hard-working, typical father figure. Raised three kids, he's got his grandkids. He's loving, he's generous, he'll do anything for anybody.
"He's very giving, which is why I think he's reaped the rewards now in terms of people giving back and the GoFundMe. He loves rugby, he used to coach the local football and rugby team when I was growing up.
"He's so down to earth, always looking to help people - good morals, good values - but he's a hard worker and he'll fight this just like any battle he has faced before. And he's faced some battles. So this is just going to be another one, it's the toughest test yet."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Medscape
18 minutes ago
- Medscape
COVID-19 Pandemic Tied to Accelerated Brain Aging
The COVID-19 pandemic may have accelerated brain aging, even among people who avoided becoming infected with SARS-CoV-2, new research suggested. By comparing longitudinal brain scans from healthy adults, researchers found that the average person's brain appeared to age by nearly 6 months for every year lived during the pandemic. 'What surprised me most was that even people who hadn't had COVID showed significant increases in brain aging rates,' lead author Ali-Reza Mohammadi-Nejad, PhD, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, England, said in a statement. 'It really shows how much the experience of the pandemic itself, everything from isolation to uncertainty, may have affected our brain health,' Mohammadi-Nejad said. The study was published online on July 22 in Nature Communications . UK Biobank Data In addition to the well-documented respiratory and systemic manifestations of SARS-CoV-2 infection, compelling evidence has highlighted the ability of the virus to attack the central nervous system. Studies have shown high rates of fatigue, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, and cognitive impairment in COVID-19 survivors. Research has also revealed potential associations between COVID-19, cognitive decline, brain changes, and the molecular signatures of brain aging. Mohammadi-Nejad and colleagues investigated the pandemic's impact on brain aging using longitudinal brain MRI data from 996 healthy adults participating in the UK Biobank study. Some participants had scans before and after the pandemic (the pandemic group); others, only before the pandemic (control group). They used advanced imaging and machine learning to estimate each person's 'brain age'— how old their brain appeared to be compared to their actual age. They used brain scans from 15,334 healthy individuals to develop a brain age model. Results showed that even with initially matched brain age gaps (predicted brain age vs chronological age) and matched for a range of health markers, the pandemic significantly accelerated brain aging. On average, the pandemic group showed a 5.5-month higher deviation of brain age gap at the second timepoint compared with the control group. In the pandemic group, increased brain age correlated with lower scores on standard cognitive tests, which might help explain why some people who had COVID-19 have shown impaired cognition, researchers said. Accelerated brain aging was more pronounced in males and those from deprived socio-demographic backgrounds and these deviations existed regardless of SARS-CoV-2 infection. 'Our findings provide valuable insight into how the COVID-19 pandemic affected brain health, demonstrating that the general pandemic effects alone, without infection, exerted a substantial detrimental effect on brain health, augmented by biosocial factors (age, health, and social inequalities) in a healthy middle-aged to older population,' the investigators note. 'Notably, the extent of accelerated brain aging over a matched pre-pandemic control group, observed in grey and white matter, was similar in both noninfected and infected sub-cohorts,' they noted. Interpret Cautiously In a statement from the UK nonprofit Science Media Center several experts weighed in on the results. 'While this is a very carefully conducted analysis, we have to be cautious with interpretation,' said Masud Husain, DPhil, BMBCh, FMedSci, professor of neurology & cognitive neuroscience, University of Oxford, Oxford, England. 'The brain age difference between the two groups (as indexed by brain scanning) was on average only 5 months, and difference in cognitive performance between groups was only on the total time taken to complete one of the tests. Is this really going to make a significant difference in everyday life?' Husain wondered. 'Furthermore, the time between scans was much shorter in the people scanned before and after the pandemic compared to those who had both scans before the pandemic. We therefore don't know if brain aging would have recovered if more time elapsed,' Husain said. Maxime Taquet, MBBCh, PhD, associate professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, said, 'It is important to note that the majority of people showed brain aging at the expected rate.' Nonetheless, Taquet said the findings raise 'important questions about the long-term neurological impact of the pandemic, whether due to infection itself or the broader psychological and social stress it caused.' Eugene Duff, PhD, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, England, cautioned that 'as an observational study it is not possible to fully exclude that factors unrelated to the pandemic could contribute to the observed acceleration. 'While the events of the pandemic were exceptional, this work demonstrates the stark effects that the conditions of an individual's life may have on brain and cognitive health, and the value of careful dissection of the myriad of local and global factors contributing to these conditions.'
Medscape
an hour ago
- Medscape
Could Ketamine Addiction Become the UK's Next Drug Crisis?
Doctors are warning that ketamine is not the harmless party drug many believe it to be, as rising numbers of young people in the UK are being treated for addiction and serious organ damage. Despite the surge in use, many users — and even frontline clinicians — remain unaware of the drug's addictive potential and its severe physical health consequences, including bladder failure, kidney damage, and extreme weight loss. According to the Home Office, an estimated 299,000 people aged 16-59 had reported ketamine use in the year ending March 2023 – the largest number on record. In a June 2025 editorial in The BMJ , addiction psychiatrists said that 3609 people began treatment for ketamine addiction in 2023-2024. That is more than eight times the number recorded in 2014-2015. The drug's relatively low cost made it popular among young people, according to the experts from King's College London and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. 'Not Just a Party Drug' Dr Irene Guerrini Consultant addiction psychiatrist Dr Irene Guerrini, who led the study, told Medscape News UK : 'The vast majority of clinicians think ketamine is a party drug used at clubs and raves, but it's not just that. My young patients often go to A&E and primary care and are told ketamine is not addictive, but it is addictive and can cause serious harm.' Guerrini said that ketamine uropathy is the most common complication of frequent use. 'It causes serious bladder, kidney and liver problems, and often extreme weight loss, which can be confused with an eating disorder by some health professionals.' Earlier this month, Alder Hey children's hospital in Liverpool opened a specialist ketamine clinic to treat young people under 16 for ketamine-induced uropathy. Physical and Psychological Harm A separate study by the University of Exeter and University College London (UCL), published in the journal Addiction in April, also found a strong link between ketamine addiction and physical and psychological health problems. Among 274 people with ketamine use disorder, 60% had experienced bladder or nasal problems. More than half (56%) reported painful cramping in the abdomen, known as 'k-cramps'. Chemicals released when ketamine breaks down in the body can damage the bladder lining, leading to pain, bleeding, and scarring. Some bladder damage was so severe that it required bladder removal and the use of a urostomy bag. Celia Morgan Study author Professor Celia Morgan, of the University of Exeter told Medscape News UK , ' Ketamine use is increasing. We have observed users are younger and the trajectory to dependence seems fast in some individuals. 'In those who are sucked in to repeated heavy ketamine use, the physical consequences are severe in terms of bladder complications, but also dramatic weight loss and in severe cases, multi-organ failure.' Sharp Rise in Rehab Admissions UK Addiction Treatment (UKAT) centres have reported a surge in people seeking help. Zaheen Ahmed Zaheen Ahmed, director of addiction treatment at UKAT, told Medscape News UK that there had been ' a staggering rise in both enquiries for help and admissions into our centres'. Admissions were up 35% in 2024 compared with the previous year. 'Ketamine addiction has become the norm, and we're seeing it and treating it daily now,' he said. Ahmed warned, 'Ketamine is a really dangerous drug, because it doesn't give the user an awful come down like other substances do.' The drug is also 'incredibly cheap, making it very appealing, especially to young people'. Medical Use and Misuse Ketamine is used clinically as an anaesthetic. At lower doses, it is prescribed for chronic pain, treatment-resistant depression, and suicidality. It is also being trialled in studies to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and severe alcohol dependence. However, experts have warned that increasing availability through private clinics may normalise unsupervised or self-directed use. The drug has also been linked to the deaths of Friends actor Matthew Perry and drag performer The Vivienne. Missed Diagnoses in Primary Care The Exeter/UCL Study found that most people with ketamine use disorder do not seek treatment. Existing services are often perceived as ineffective. 'In our study, a common report was that doctors and health professionals were ignorant to ketamine addiction and its physical health impacts,' said Morgan. 'We need to urgently raise awareness and educate professionals of this often devastating and life-threatening condition.' Guerrini agreed that doctors should be more alert to the possibility of ketamine addition. 'M aybe if I'm a GP and see a particularly young patient coming to me with a urinary tract problem like cystitis, be I'll be more inquisitive, ask the correct questions, and think maybe this patient is on ketamine.' Similarly, A&E doctors should develop 'clinical curiosity' if a young patient has high liver enzymes and severe pain. Guerrini called for better diagnostic tools, a national registry, and earlier screening to support treatment and help evaluate emerging therapies. 'It's important to increase awareness among professionals and encourage joined up working between substance misuse services, urology services, and mental health services, as these young people often have chronic depression along with physical issues caused by ketamine,' she said. Government Considering Reclassification Ketamine is currently controlled as a Class B substance. The maximum penalty for supplying and producing it is up to 14 years in prison, an unlimited fine, or both. Earlier this year, the Home Office asked independent experts for advice on whether ketamine should remain controlled as a Class B substance or become a Class A drug. Ahmed said that reclassification would increase penalties for dealers, but more importantly, ' it will hopefully discourage young people especially to even experiment with it at all'.
Medscape
an hour ago
- Medscape
Earlier Palliative Cancer Care Cuts End-of-Life ED Visits
TOPLINE: A recent retrospective study found that earlier outpatient palliative care referrals for patients with advanced cancer were associated with a small increase in overall emergency department (ED) visits but significantly fewer end-of-life ED visits and improved advance care planning. METHODOLOGY: ED visits near end of life are common among patients with advanced cancer and often indicate unmet needs. Although early outpatient palliative care can improve symptom management and care coordination as well as prevent unnecessary ED visits, it is crucial to distinguish patients who require ED visits from those better managed with planned care. To understand how earlier palliative care referrals may impact end-of-life ED visits, researchers conducted a retrospective cohort study of 3560 patients with advanced cancer (median age, 68 years; 60.2% men) referred to outpatient palliative care at Seoul National University Hospital between 2018 and 2022. Patients received consultation-based palliative care services from a team of physicians, nurses, and social workers — provided 5 days per week, with telephone support available on weekdays. Researchers analyzed ED visits after outpatient palliative care referral, looking at the association between the timing of palliative care referral and end-of-life ED visits as well as the completion of advance care planning documentation in outpatient palliative care and ED settings. Researchers also analyzed end-of-life ED visits — defined as those occurring within 30 days before death — and factors associated with overall and end-of-life ED visits. TAKEAWAY: Overall, 25.8% of patients visited the ED, and 10.6% had an end-of-life ED visit. Earlier palliative care referral was associated with a 4% greater likelihood of an ED visit overall (odds ratio [OR], 1.04), possibly because these patients had longer follow-up, but a 16% reduced likelihood of an ED end-of-life visit (OR, 0.84). Factors associated with overall ED visits were age younger than 65 years (OR, 1.25), residence area (OR, 2.92), and planned treatment (OR, 2.60); factors associated with end-of-life visits were residence area (OR, 3.29), hematologic malignancy (OR, 2.79), and planned cancer treatment at referral (OR, 2.60). Among 2132 patients who completed advance care planning documentation after referral, 48.0% of ED visitors and 52.8% of nonvisitors completed it at outpatient palliative care clinics, while 20.0% of ED visitors completed it in the ED. End-of-life ED visits were more severe and were associated with longer median stays (11.6 vs 8.5 hours), higher rates of hospital admission or transfer (59.7% vs 41.5%), and higher rates of respiratory infections (13.5% vs 4.9%) than other ED visits. Regarding interventions, cardiopulmonary resuscitation was performed more frequently during end-of-life ED visits than overall ED visits (3.2% vs 1.2%), with mechanical ventilation and vasopressors used nearly twice as often during end-of-life ED visits. IN PRACTICE: A substantial proportion of patients with advanced cancer visited the ED, including during the final month of life. Earlier palliative care referrals were associated with fewer end-of-life ED visits, 'emphasizing the importance of timely integration of [palliative care] to reduce unnecessary interventions and ensure goal-concordant care,' the authors wrote. The researchers also noted that the findings underscore the need for structured advance care planning discussions across care settings to enhance the quality of end-of-life care. SOURCE: This study, led by Ye Sul Jeung, MD, Center for Palliative Care and Clinical Ethics, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea, was published online in JAMA Network Open. LIMITATIONS: The single-center design limited the generalizability of the findings to other settings. This study could not capture data from other EDs where patients may have sought care, potentially leading to incomplete information. Moreover, this study did not consider the complex decision-making processes leading to ED visits, and lacked data on symptom burden or home circumstances to assess the necessity of the visits. DISCLOSURES: This research was supported by a grant from the Patient-Centered Clinical Research Coordinating Center, funded by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Republic of Korea. The authors disclosed having no conflicts of interest. This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.
