We are supporting the first Low-Grade Glioma Awareness Weekend.
Taking place on Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th August, the campaign is led by Astro Brain Tumour Fund – a valued Member Charity of Brain Tumour Research and the only UK charity focusing solely on low-grade glioma (LGG).
A glioma is a type of brain tumour that develops from glial cells – support cells which are essential in the maintenance and function of the central nervous system. Gliomas are classified in four grades, with grade 1 and grade 2 being known as LGGs.
Usually occurring in children and teenagers, grade 1 gliomas are the most slow-growing form and carry the longest prognosis. Grade 2 gliomas are more common in adults but can also occur in children and teenagers. They are initially slow-growing but often progress to a higher grade through time – usually over years. Treatment can include surgery and for some patients, radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
For patients like Freya Henderson-Dear (pictured top left) a LGG diagnosis is life-changing. She was just two and a half when she was diagnosed with a pilocytic astrocytoma – the most common form of LGG – in September 2019. Following debulking surgery and three failed cycles of chemotherapy, Freya, who celebrated her eighth birthday in June, is now on a two-year trial treatment.
Her dad, Nicholas (pictured top right, with Freya), ran the TCS London Marathon for Brain Tumour Research in April. He said: “Right now, Freya is receiving groundbreaking treatment – a reminder of how vital ongoing research is. Charities like Brain Tumour Research give families hope, and I want more children to have that same chance. But the fight isn't over. Freya, and so many other people like her, will need new treatments in the future. That is why I will continue to campaign for more investment in research into brain tumours.”
Research we are funding at our Brain Tumour Research Centre of Excellence at the University of Plymouth – one of Europe’s leading research institutes for low-grade brain tumours – is furthering our understanding of what causes LGG.
Dr Claudia Barros (pictured above) and her team at the Centre are investigating early cellular and molecular events leading to the development of brain tumours. They recently uncovered “readying” processes which occur just prior to brain tumour onset that could be vital for tumour growth. The team identified a mechanism by which a protein known as HEATR1 – the overexpression of which is linked to poor prognosis in glioma – works with the major growth regulator known as MYC and is required to increase the production of ribosomes, which are essential cellular machinery for brain tumour growth.
As well as furthering our understanding of how brain tumours form, this research opens avenues to find new potential drug targets towards novel therapies for patients with glioma tumours. With further investigation, these findings could help us develop new treatments which will target tumour cells more effectively and so improve outcomes for patients.
You can help us continue to support research to expand our understanding of how brain tumours form and find new ways to treat the disease by setting up a regular donation or donating what you can today.
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