Finding a cure for childhood brain tumours

One in three children who die of cancer are killed by a brain tumour. September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and we are working with families affected by this devastating disease to highlight how together we can increase awareness and get closer to a cure.

We are leading the way to increase national investment in research to find new treatments for childhood brain tumours in order to improve outcomes and, ultimately, find a cure. Will you help us this September for Childhood Cancer Awareness Month? 

Your donation today will help fund the fight, supporting research to help us find kinder treatments and cures for children with brain tumours. Keep reading to find out more about the work your money will support.

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The stark facts: 

On average, 420 children in the UK are diagnosed with a brain tumour every year  

Brain tumours account for more than a quarter of all childhood cancers in Great Britain  

Brain tumours kill more children than leukaemia

It is unknown what causes brain tumours in children 


Paediatric brain tumour treatment depends on the type of tumour, size and location in the brain and will be agreed by a multidisciplinary team comprised of various paediatric specialists, but may include surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy 

Of children who survive a brain tumour, 62% live with life-long disabilities   

Diffuse midline glioma (DMG) – which includes diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) – is the deadliest form of childhood cancer, with an average survival of just eight to 12 months, and affects around 40 children every year 

Ronnie’s story

Eleven-year-old Ronnie was given just nine months to live after he was diagnosed with a DMG in March 2024. His diagnosis came after muscle pain which GPs said was caused by “playing on his phone too much”.

Ronnie’s dad, Nick, said:“When we got the results of the MRI, we couldn’t believe the news that he had brain cancer. It was like we had been hit by a bus. He’s a handsome, confident and well-loved little boy who was fit and healthy. How could this be happening?”

Despite Ronnie already having had surgery and radiotherapy, his family has been told that chemo will not help at all in his case. Faced with a lack of treatment options in the UK, they are now raising money to help fund private treatment abroad in the hopes of extending his life.  

Nick added: “In the four months since Ronnie was diagnosed, his appearance has changed drastically. Although he can walk and talk, it’s becoming more difficult and the overwhelming side effects of the tumour and medication meant he’s stopped going to school. Nobody should have to face this devastation because of brain tumours, let alone a child.” 

We’re leading the fight to find a cure for children like Ronnie – but we need your help 

Our vision is to find a cure for all types of brain tumours.  

Professor Chris Jones and his team at the Brain Tumour Research Centre of Excellence at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, are working tirelessly to find new treatment options for paediatric-type diffuse high-grade gliomas (PDHGG).  Launched during Childhood Cancer Awareness Month last year, the hope is that the work being undertaken at this Centre will lead to new
clinical trials within five years.

PDHGG is the term for a collection of high-grade childhood brain tumour types, which include DMG. These tumours have extremely poor prognosis and clinical outcomes.For the vast majority, the average survival is sadly just nine to 18 months. 

To improve outcomes for children and young adults with these tumours, we are testing new drugs, generating essential data, and finding the breakthroughs needed that can lead to potentially life-saving clinical trials. In the video here, Prof Jones explains more about his pioneering work.

Across our network of Research Centres, work is underway to find new treatments and improve outcomes for children diagnosed with brain cancer. Our Centre of Excellence at Queen Mary University of London is investigating group 4 medulloblastoma tumours and applying their learnings to
other tumour types, such as diffuse instrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) - a type of DMG).

These tumours primarily affect children and have some of the lowest survival rates of all cancers. Our Centre at the University of Plymouth is working on projects to understand more about ependymomas – a tumour which only 72% of children will survive for five years or more. While at our team at Imperial College London is expanding its investigation of the effect of arginine deprivation and radiation to include DIPG.

Your support is vital and a donation of any amount today will help support this vital research. Help us fund the fight.

Together we will find a cure.