Ivan Noble, 37; Wrote Brain Cancer ‘Tumor Diary’ for BBC Website

Ivan Noble, 37, a British Broadcasting Corp. website science and technology correspondent who provided an online “tumor diary” of his fight with brain cancer, died of the illness Monday in London.

Noble’s bold diary, which he had produced since his diagnosis in August 2002, chronicled his three brain operations, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. After two remissions, the tumor returned in November, and he was admitted to a London hospice in January.

In his final column, published Sunday but written earlier, Noble said feedback from tens of thousands of readers had prolonged his life.

“What I wanted to do with this column,” he wrote, “was try to prove that it was possible to survive and beat cancer and not to be crushed by it. Even though I have to take my leave now, I feel like I managed it. I have not been defeated.”

Born in Leeds, England, Noble studied German at Aston University in Birmingham and lived for two years in East Germany, working as a translator. He joined the BBC as a translator, then became a sub-editor in Nairobi, Kenya. He joined the BBC News website in 2001.