In 2020 the virologist Dr. Beata Halassy was diagnosed with the recurrence of her breast cancer. She didn´t want to go through chemotherapy again and thought of a different approach from her own laboratory: Oncolytic virotherapy (OVT). Viruses are injected into the tumour and infect the cancer cells. The immune system then starts to fight the infected cells. Dr. Halassy chose two different viruses she cultivated in her own lab. They were injected into the tumour over two months. Subsequently, the tumour decreased in size, it became softer and detached from the muscle. Then, it could be easily removed. This approach is not totally new. Several clinical trials are underway to evalute OVT. What is unusual about the case is the self-experiment and its ethical considerations. Over a dozen journals rejected Dr. Halassys publication of the case, until finally Vaccines picked it up:

Dr. Halassy is now 4 years cancer free and avoided chemotherapy.