Statistics can be boring but in the case of brain tumours the numbers are, in many instances, quite shocking. There have been great advances in the treatment of those suffering an acquired brain injury, particularly traumatic brain injury arising from falls and road accidents. Those advances have resulted in improved survival rates, better treatment, increased life expectancy and improved quality of life. However, for the victims of brain tumour they cannot enjoy the fruits of substantial investment. This is because relatively small sums have been dedicated to brain tumour research, training and treatment. The consequences are stark, as revealed by Brain Tumour Research and the 2016 report from the House of Commons Committee Funding for Research into Brain Tumours.
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- More children and adults under the age of 40 die of a brain tumour than any other cancer
- Brain tumour accounts for 15-20% of all cancers in people under the age of 25
- 71% of brain tumour deaths occur in those under 75 years of age, compared with 47% for all other cancers
- Only 1.5% of the national spend on cancer research is allocated to brain tumours
- Of the national £498 million national spend on cancer, only £7.7 million spent on brain tumour research
- Over 11 years, from 2002 to 2012, just £35 million out of £4.5 billion of cancer research had been spent on brain tumours
- Call for funding to increase to £35 million per annum
- 60-70% of brain tumours are diagnosed in A&E (ie at a very late stage)
- 16,000 people are diagnosed with brain tumour each year
- Up to 40% of all cancers eventually spread to the brain
- Brain tumour numbers are rising; over 2% higher for both men and women, compared with 1970
- The improvements in survival rates for brain tumour patients have improved since the 1970’s but not as great as in other areas
- Cancer Research UK’s strategic ambition is to improve general survival rates from cancer from two in four, to three in four by 2034. A key part of this focus is on brain tumour survival.
- Brain cancer deaths are rising, unlike many other cancers
- Less than 20% diagnosed with cancer survive beyond 5 years, compared to 50% average for all other cancers
- 58% of men and women diagnosed with brain cancer die within a year, compared with 5% for breast cancer, 35% for leukaemia and 7% for prostate cancer
- Mortality rate due to brain tumours has increased over the last 13 years
- Brain tumours kill more children than leukaemia or any other cancer
- Every 9 days a child is diagnosed with Diffuse Pontine Glioma (DIPG), the most fatal form of childhood brain tumour
- Brain tumour kills more women under the age of 35 than breast cancer or any other cancer and 65% more women than cervical cancer
- Brain tumour kills more men under the age of 45 than prostate or any other cancer
- Brain tumours are responsible for over 20 years of life lost, compared with 13 for breast cancer
- Earlier diagnosis could increase survival rates for patients with brain tumours, especially children
