Brain Tumour Research Manifesto 2024
At the launch of our manifesto at Westminster on Tuesday 19th March 2024, Brain Tumour Research called for the UK Government to declare brain tumours a clinical priority, enabling research funding into brain tumours to become game-changing across the translational pipeline
This manifesto makes it clear that other cancers in recent decades have seen increased research investment and associated improvements in survival. Now is the time for us to make the same investment in brain tumours and find a cure for this devastating disease.
We are asking for six achievable and impactful commitments:
- Provide a detailed response to the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Brain Tumours inquiry report, Pathway to a Cure, and an update on the plans to action the recommendations within the report
- The Government to declare brain tumours a clinical priority and to approach improving options and outcomes for brain tumour patients with appropriate urgency
- Doubling the annual research spend across adult and paediatric brain tumours from the 20/21 total of £17.6 million to £35 million per year by 2028
- Develop a roadmap for full national deployment of the £40 million research funds made available in 2018, in partnership with Brain Tumour Research
- Implement a monitoring system for this spend, with decision-making authority, to be overseen by a new Brain Tumour Research Institute – made up of clinicians, researchers and charities – specifically targeted with funding research that will drive both discovery and translational research, so we find cures
- Increased participation of adult and paediatric brain tumour patients in clinical trials
How did we get here?
In 2015, we started what would become a hugely successful campaign in support of an e-petition, launched by the Realf family, calling for the Government to fund more research into brain tumours.
Our campaigning had a dynamic domino effect: more than 120,000 signatures were collected on the petition, the Petitions Committee launched an Inquiry and published a landmark report, a Westminster Hall debate followed where all attendees were in agreement that more needed to be done.
This in turn led to the establishment of a dedicated Task and Finish Working Group on Brain Tumour Research, run by Department of Health and Social Care, within which we continued to exert our key influence.
After a pivotal year of discussion, analysis and strategic development, in May 2018, the Government and Cancer Research UK together pledged a £65 million investment into quality research into brain tumours over the next five years.
The tragic death of Baroness Tessa Jowell from a brain tumour in May 2018, following a standing ovation in the House of Lords in January for her speech on the devastating disease, also proved to be a catalyst for change, and with the establishment of the Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission, there is an even greater call now to invest in both increased research and greater support for those affected by brain tumours.