Brain Tumour Patients and carers from Shipley join mass lobby asking MPs to in the fight against brain tumours
Six patients and fundraisers from Shipley joined over 100 other patients, carers, charities and healthcare professionals from on a mass lobby of Parliament on Wednesday to ask local MP, Philip Davies to help raise awareness about brain tumours in Shipley and to get the Government to do more in the fight against brain tumours.
Mr Davies signed the pledge to ensure that brain tumour care is given a higher priority because not enough people or policy makers are aware that:
Brain tumours kill more children and more people under 40 than any other cancer;
Brain tumours reduce life expectancy by over 20 years on average - more than breast, colon, lung, prostrate, cervix, ovary, melanoma, leukaemia, Non Hodgkin's Lymphoma, kidney, pancreas, oesophagus, stomach, uterus, myeloma, and bladder cancers.
8,600 primary brain tumours are registered in the UK every year, but many go unrecorded. Research by the brain tumour charities suggest the true figure is closer to 16,000 and that 32,000 people develop secondary brain tumours in the UK every year which go unrecorded.
Unlike many other cancers survival rates for brain tumours have not significantly improved in the UK for over 40 years and despite the prevalence and high mortality of brain tumours the issue is not currently given the resources or focus they deserve for example:
Brain Tumours receive just 0.7% of funds allocated to cancer research;
Diagnosis of brain tumours is often delayed with the median time from onset of symptoms to diagnosis being 3.3 months in the UK, compared to 5 weeks in comparable countries like Poland and the US.
Philip Davies MP said: "I support the efforts made by the Brain Tumour Consortium to ensure that existing medical guidelines should be followed to ensure early diagnosis and treatment for everyone affected by a brain tumour, that all those diagnosed with a brain tumour should receive a consistently high standard of treatment and care throughout the UK and that there should be a significantly enhanced national programme of brain tumour research which reflects the number of people affected by Brain Tumours."
Brain tumour campaigners are not necessarily asking for more Government money, but what is needed is a better understanding of the severity and incidence rate of brain tumours so that existing resources are allocated more fairly and effectively. "As a first step, MPs are being encouraged to improve awareness about brain tumours by pledging to sign an Early Day Motion, signing an e-petition, and to do more to promote awareness of brain tumours in their constituencies and to participate in meetings of the All Party Brain Tumour Group.