Brain tumour facts

The statistics around brain tumours are shocking.

Here is a snapshot of why our work to fund research into this devastating disease and campaign for greater national investment is so crucial.

Brain tumours are indiscriminate; they can affect anyone at any age.¹

Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer.²

Just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to brain tumours since records began in 2002.³

One in three people knows someone affected by a brain tumour.⁴

Each year, nearly 13,000 people are diagnosed with a brain tumour.⁵

Every day, 35 people are diagnosed with a brain tumour.⁶

Brain tumours kill more children than leukaemia.⁷

Brain tumours kill more women under the age of 35 than breast cancer.⁸

Brain tumours kill more men under the age of 70 than prostate cancer.⁹

In England, you are four times less likely to survive five years following a brain tumour diagnosis compared to the average for all cancers.¹⁰

There are more than 100 different types of brain tumour making them notoriously difficult to diagnose and treat.¹¹

In England, nearly 40% of brain tumour patients are diagnosed in emergency care when their symptoms have developed more significantly.¹²

More than 100,000 people are estimated to be living with a brain tumour or the long-term impact of their diagnosis.¹³

All facts listed on this page refer to the UK and primary brain tumours, unless otherwise specified.

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References

1. Cancer Registration Statistics, England, 2022 – NHS Digital (Accessed 2024, November 12)

2. Data based on:

England: Cancer Registration Statistics, England 2020 - NHS Digital (Accessed 2022, October 20). 

Wales: Cancer mortality in Wales, 2002-2024 - Public Health Wales (Accessed 2025, September 17) 

Scotland: Cancer Mortality Annual update to 2022 - Public Health Scotland (Accessed 2025, August 19)

3. Cancer research funding data, 2020/21 - National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) (Accessed 2024, February 8)

4. Yonder survey commissioned by Brain Tumour Research 2022

5. Brain, other CNS and intracranial tumours statistics - Cancer Research UK (Accessed 2025, February 5)

6. Brain, other CNS and intracranial tumours statistics - Cancer Research UK (Accessed 2025, October 13)

7. Children’s cancers mortality statistics - Cancer Research UK (Accessed 2025, Feb 5)

8. Cancer Registration Statistics, England, 2022 – NHS Digital (Accessed 2024, November 12)

9. Cancer Registration Statistics, England, 2022 – NHS Digital (Accessed 2024, November 12)

10. Based on data from:

Cancer Survival in England, cancers diagnosed 2016 to 2020, followed up to 2021 - NHS Digital (2025, Feb 5)

And

Index of cancer survival in England. Adults diagnosed 2005-2020 and followed up to 2021- NHS Digital, (2025, April 13)

11. Louis, D. N., Perry, A., Wesseling, P., Brat, D. J., Cree, I. A., Figarella-Branger, D., Hawkins, C., Ng, H. K., Pfister, S. M., Reifenberger, G., Soffietti, R., von Deimling, A., & Ellison, D. W. (2021). The 2021 WHO Classification of Tumors of the Central Nervous System: a summary. Neuro-oncology, 23(8), 1231–1251.

12. Routes to diagnosis, 2006-2020 - National Cancer Registration and Analysis Service, which is part of NHS England (NHSE) (Accessed 2025, October 9)

Definitions: Emergency care includes A&E, Urgent Care or Emergency GP referral

13. Based on:

England: England Cancer Prevalence Statistics, 2022 – National Disease Registration Service and Health Data Insight CiC (Accessed 2025, August)

Scotland: Cancer incidence in Scotland to December 2023 – Public Health Scotland (Accessed 2025, Sept)

Wales: Cancer survival in Wales – Public Health Wales (Accessed 2025, March 26)

Northern Ireland: Brain Cancer – Northern Ireland Cancer Registry (Accessed 2025, Oct 19)