UK report critical of brain cancer funding

A damning British report has found that health officials have "failed brain tumour patients and their families for decades".

Patients with brain tumours are let down at every stage - from diagnosis and treatment to research funding, the Petitions Commitee of UK MPs said.

The committee said it had little reason to believe the health department had "grasped the seriousness of the issue", while MPs criticised the government for not taking the lead in identifying gaps in research and providing funding for new studies which could help save lives.

It concluded that funding for brain tumour research is inadequate and not given sufficient priority.

Brain Tumour Research said just one per cent of the national spend on cancer research is allocated to the study of brain tumours.

The report came after a bereaved sister set up a petition calling for more research into brain tumours - it has since been signed by more than 120,000 people.

Maria Lester began campaigning after her brother and aspiring RAF pilot Stephen Realf died from a brain tumour aged just 26.

Mrs Lester welcomed the report but said she would continue her fight, adding: "We are going to keep shouting and keep getting louder until someone in government finally hears what we are saying and does something about it."

The report found there had been little improvement in the prognosis for brain tumour patients over the last 30 years.

It also found brain tumour research had been seriously underfunded for decades, putting it far behind many other cancers in terms of improvements in patient outcomes.

The report said funding for site-specific brain tumour research comes mostly from the voluntary sector, but the MPs said charities must not be left to tackle this disease alone.

The Petitions Committee called on the government to give a clear statement on whether it thinks current levels of funding are adequate and, if not, what it plans to do to ensure that funding for brain tumour research increases.