The National Institute for Health and Care Research has launched two new calls for vital research into brain tumours, as new funding opportunities are created.
The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) has launched two new calls for vital research into brain tumours, as new funding opportunities have been created. It’s described as the largest combined initiative of its kind, and the aim is to step up the level and quality of research to improve patient outcomes for brain tumours.
The funding is administered by the NIHR and the Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission (TJBCM). Health Minister Baroness Gillian Merron said: “Every brain cancer diagnosis has a life-changing impact on the patient and their families.”
“Innovative research is vital in our fight against this devastating disease, ensuring people are offered the most cutting-edge treatments and the highest quality care. These new research opportunities will bolster this approach – helping to speed up the diagnosis of tumours and aiding the recovery of patients.”
Patient outcomes for many types of cancer have improved over the last 20 years, but unfortunately little progress has been made for brain tumours. The prognosis for glioblastoma, one of the most common and aggressive types of brain tumour, is just 12-18 months, and only five per cent of patients survive more than five years.
One of the reasons that medical advancements that have improved survival rates for other cancer patients have not reached brain cancers is that chemotherapy is usually less effective. This is because the blood-brain barrier, which is a network of blood vessels that prevents harmful substances from entering the brain, also stops cancer drugs from entering.
Researchers hope that eventually, they will be able to make a drug that can successfully pass through the blood-brain barrier and act on the tumour cells while not damaging the surrounding healthy brain tissue.
The first line of treatment for brain tumour is often surgery to physically remove the brain tumour. However, the brain is a highly complex organ and tumours often have no clearly defined edge, making it impossible to remove them completely.
Some types of brain tumour grow fast and quickly spread to other parts of the brain, so even after the mass of the tumour is removed, it can soon start growing back.
External radiotherapy is another way to treat brain tumours, and is commonly used to target the parts of the tumour that could not be removed by traditional surgery. Radiotherapy destroys the cancer cells by directing high doses of radiation directly at the tumour cells to kill them.
This treatment is usually delivered in multiple short sessions over a period of three to six weeks. It can be used to slow the progression of the tumour and extend survival rates.
Stereotactic radiosurgery, sometimes called Gamma Knife surgery, is sometimes offered to patients with smaller tumours. It needs highly specialist equipment and specific skills, so it is only available at a limited number of hospitals around the country. It is not surgery, but a type of radiotherapy that involves delivering precisely targeted Gamma rays from multiple angles.
Stereotactic radiosurgery is most commonly used to treat vestibular schwannoma, meningioma, pituitary gland tumour, or secondary brain tumours that have spread from another part of the body. It’s usually delivered in a single treatment rather than multiple sessions.
Despite the challenges, many people in the medical community are hopeful that new innovative approaches and ideas will improve the outcome for brain tumour patients in the future.
Professor Lucy Chappell, NIHR CEO, said: “The approach announced today will drive forward transformative brain tumour research to improve how we prevent, detect, manage and treat brain tumours, in both adults and children. We would like our investment to see scientific advancements translate into better outcomes for patients and their families.
“We are committed to increasing our support for high quality brain tumour research, ensuring that funding is used in the most meaningful and impactful way.
“As we continue this journey together, I call upon the brain tumour research community to take up this opportunity for collaboration to drive innovation that will help us embed the needs of patients, carers, researchers, and clinicians at every stage in this step-change.”
If you would like more information about brain tumour treatment, please contact Mr Ciaran Hill of Amethyst Radiotherapy.
Centres of Excellence for Stereotactic Radiosurgery treatment of complex Brain Tumours
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