On Monday 21st May 2018 healthcare professionals, patients and caregivers gathered in Glasgow for a brain tumour symposium. A broad range of speakers gave an overview of current treatments, support services and rehabilitation strategies for those living with the diagnosis.
The day was a collaborative event between The Beatson Cancer Charity, brainstrust and Brain Tumour Research, celebrating a synergy between these three dynamic charities, all focused on improving clinical outcomes as a matter of urgency.
Among the speakers were Consultant Neurologist Dr Robin Grant who gave an overview of the Clinical Research Agenda and explained the need for enrolling more brain tumour patients in clinical trials.
Prof Anthony Chalmers informed the audience about radiotherapy and drug combination therapies that offer hope for the future.
Dr Gerry Thompson spoke in support of increasing levels of research into improving Imaging techniques and technology. The lack of clarity on scans is clearly a huge issue for patients on a daily basis, with so many treatment decisions being decided by information gleaned from the interpretation of these images.
Proton Beam Therapy was discussed by Dr Adrian Crellin, Consultant Clinical Oncologist in Leeds and NHS England National Clinical Lead on Proton Beam Therapy NHS England.
Immunotherapy was also discussed with Dr Stefan Nowicki summarising that with numerous immunotherapies being explored, there is no evidence yet that any are effective in primary brain tumours.
The second half of the symposium focused on the patient experience. Dr Ally Rooney talked about behaviour, personality changes and depression – often under-diagnosed in the brain tumour community.
Physiotherapist Sarah Humphries and Occupational Therapist Judith Rennie from the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre explained the importance of neuro-rehabilitation post-surgery and during treatment.
Brain Tumour Research intends to hold a second 2018 UK Brain Tumour Symposium in England later this year. If you’d like to attend, please email us to pre-register your interest, and to discover more about the campaigning and research work here at Brain Tumour Research.
If you want to read about the Scottish Brain Tumour Symposium in more detail, check out our blog.