Research into brain tumours hasn’t been sufficiently funded partly due to the way research funding is awarded. During the Parliamentary debate on this issue in April 2016, the then Health Minister, George Freeman MP, acknowledged:
“Here is the challenge: our system works on the basis of bids and of accelerated funding. Once funding starts to drive clinical and academic results, that generates more funding, which drives more research. The danger in that model is that, unless that initial critical mass can be achieved, things can get squeezed out.”
Tragically for so many, research into brain tumours has clearly been squeezed out.
Also, brain tumours are a complex challenge for scientists:
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There are over 120 different types of brain cancer.
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The brain is a very delicate organ.
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The brain is surrounded by the blood-brain barrier that many current cancer drugs simply cannot cross.