Background

Why research?

Brain tumours: the Cinderella cancer

At a parliamentary debate on brain tumour research funding in April 2016 Health Minister George Freeman MP praised the “extraordinary campaigning” of so many individuals and charities who were: “lifting a torch and joining a magnificent history of people who, through their suffering… drive campaigns and raise awareness, leading to increased funding.”

Brain tumours affect people of all ages. We are focused on producing more effective treatments. To do this we need a better understanding of:

  • What causes tumours?
  • How does the brain react to tumours?
  • How do tumours behave?

Their cause is still unknown, there is currently no effective cure for malignant brain tumours and patient survival has not changed appreciably over the last few decades.

  • Brain tumours affect the organ that is the essence of the “self”:
    • Thought
    • Emotion
    • Physical function
  • The most common therapy for cancer, surgical removal of all or part of the organ, is difficult to apply
  • Tumours are largely resistant to the other usual cancer treatment options – chemotherapy and radiotherapy

Some statistics

  • Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer
  • Historically just 1% of the national cancer spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease
  • In the UK 16,000 people each year are diagnosed with a primary or secondary brain tumour
  • Less than 12% of those diagnosed with a brain tumour survive beyond 5 years compared with an average of 50% across all cancers
  • Brain tumours represent 1.4% of all cancers diagnosed, yet 3% of all cancer deaths
  • Up to 40% of all cancers spread to the brain
  • In the UK 3,600 people a year die from a brain tumour
  • 1 in 50 of all people who die under the age of 60 die from a brain tumour
  • 71% of those that die of a brain tumour are under the age of 75 (compared with 47% for all cancers)
  • Brain tumours are responsible for over 20 years of life lost on average – more lethal than any other cancer
  • Unlike most other cancers, incidences and deaths from brain tumours are increasing
  • At the current rate of spend, it could take up to 100 years for brain cancer to catch up with developments in other diseases and find a cure
  • Brain tumours are indiscriminate; they can affect anyone at any age
  • Brain tumours kill more children than leukaemia
  • Brain tumours kill more men under 70 than prostate cancer
  • Brain tumours kill more women under 35 than breast cancer
  • Historic underfunding means that successive governments have failed brain tumour patients and their families for decades
  • 5 year survival for breast and prostate cancer is greater than 70%; leukaemia more than 405, yet for brain tumours it is just 12%
  • Improvements in both treatment options and outcomes for brain tumour patients have not kept pace with those experiences by breast and leukaemia patients
  • Every 2 hours, someone in England is diagnosed with a brain tumour
  • £35 million more per year has been spent on breast cancer research than on brain tumours
  • For every leukaemia death, £8,759 is spent on research, compared with only £1,858 on brain tumour research
  • Out of all recorded deaths from all causes, brain tumours now account for one in 143 people, increasing to one in 64 for under 75s
  • The causes of brain tumours are not understood – less than 1% are preventable; for leukaemia and breast cancer 15%, and 27% cases respectively are preventable
  • Government spend on brain tumour research represents just 0.52% of its total spend on cancer
  • In 2015, 14% of national spend on brain tumour research was contributed by the Government, with the 86% balance provided by charity partners who rely entirely on general public support
  • The incidence of brain tumours is rising: in England, it increased by 19% from 2002-2014
  • Overall cancer deaths have steadily fallen in the last 20 years whereas brain tumour deaths continued to increase
  • Brain tumour patients are on average £14,783 worse off per year, whereas for all cancers the average cost is £6,840 per year
  • The national investment for research into brain tumours needs to increase to £35 million a year by 2025

Source:  Brain Tumour Research