A special film about a breakthrough study at a Brain Tumour Research Centre of Excellence and featuring our Patron Theo Burrell will be shown on BBC One’s Morning Live show today (Wednesday 6th March).
The segment, filmed for Brain Tumour Awareness Month, will focus on groundbreaking clinical research at our Centre of Excellence at Imperial College London which found that high-grade brain tumours, such as glioblastoma (GBM), astrocytomas and oligodendrogliomas, can be detected with a simple blood test.
Presented by well-known TV doctor and author Dr Ranj, brain tumour patient Theo appears alongside Dr Nelofer Syed (pictured below with Dr Ranj) and consultant neurosurgeon Kevin O’Neill, who lead the team at Imperial.
The film explores the new technique that could make a huge difference to patients, sparing them from undergoing invasive and highly risky surgery. It could lead to earlier diagnosis of their tumour type, speedier treatments and potentially increase survival rates.
Antiques Roadshow expert Theo, who was diagnosed with a GBM in June 2022, said: “If a blood test had been an option, and it was easily accessible through my GP, I wouldn’t have had the six months of agonising pain, stress, worry and sickness that I went through. It would have made a huge difference because that time was one of the most traumatic things about this whole experience.”
Inexpensive and simple to implement, the blood test could benefit patients in as little as two years.
Dr Nelofer Syed said: “A non-invasive, inexpensive method for the early detection of brain tumours is critical for improvements in patient care.
“Through this technology, a diagnosis of inaccessible tumours can become possible through a risk-free and patient-friendly blood test. We believe this would be a world-first as there are currently no non-invasive or non-radiological tests for these types of tumours.”
Watch the film on BBC One’s Morning Live here (at 23 minutes 10 seconds).
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