During Less Survivable Cancers Awareness Week, our campaigning team attended an event at the Senedd, organised by the Less Survivable Cancers Taskforce, to raise awareness of the poor outcomes for brain tumour patients and the lack of research funding for this type of cancer in Wales.
Our aim was to highlight the urgent need to expand treatment options and improve outcomes for brain tumour patients across Wales through supporting and encouraging more innovation and research in the brain tumour space – a central theme of the event at the Senedd.
Alongside other charities representing the less survivable cancers community, we called on the Welsh Government to recognise the scale of this challenge. Together, we urged the Government to reconsider current funding models, remove existing barriers – such as limited access to and awareness of clinical trials – and incentivise greater research investment into less survivable cancers.
With the Welsh elections approaching, we welcomed the opportunity to speak with a number of Members of the Senedd (MSs) about our priorities in Wales and to share key statistics that demonstrate the current treatment landscape. Encouragingly, many MSs we spoke to expressed a strong commitment to improving outcomes for brain tumour patients in Wales.
We were pleased to reconnect with long-standing supporters, including Plaid Cymru Health Spokesperson Mabon ap Gwynfor and Russell George MS, as well as to meet new voices such as Lindsay Whittle MS, the newly elected Member of the Senedd for Caerphilly.
Jana Abdal-Rahman, our Policy and Public Affairs Officer, (pictured top with Dr Ben Newland who is leading an innovative ‘super sponge’ project funded by Brain Tumour Research) said: “There was a real sense of energy and urgency in the room at the Senedd. Members from across parties clearly recognised the scale of the less survivable cancers research gap and the impact this is having on patients and families across Wales. Our campaigning team will continue to advocate to Members of the Senedd before and after the election to ensure this momentum is maintained and translated into meaningful action.”
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