He underwent a six-hour operation to remove the golf ball-sized tumour, but in July he learned that it had started to grow again.
The 38-year-old said fundraising helped him raise £100,000 for a treatment not available on the NHS – DcVax-L, external, a personalised vaccine made using cells from the patient’s own tumour.
But it relies on the correct storage of a patient’s tumour and, due to the way his brain tissue was stored after surgery, he was only able to receive four doses of the treatment rather than the 10 that were initially planned.
“It wouldn’t have cured my cancer, but it could have given me a couple more months,” said Collins, who said he has been given between 12-18 months to live.
“It’s so important to have the tissue stored properly, and that people are aware of the options they have. I was never told there was a vaccine available.”