March is brain tumour awareness month and CelebMix will be focusing on brain tumours as a part of CelebMix Cares. We want to shed light on some of the statistics on brain tumours to help our readers understand the seriousness of the illness.
In the United Kingdom, 27 people are diagnosed with a brain tumour every single day, and 16,000 people each year are diagnosed with a brain tumour. On a yearly basis, 5000 people will lose their lives to a brain tumour. The survival rate for adults in England and Wales is 14 percent after five years. More children and adults under the age of 40 die of a brain tumour than from any other cancer and 71 percent of brain tumour deaths occur in those under 75 compared to 47 percent for all other cancers. Brain tumours will reduce life expectancy with 20 years.
Many of the people affected by brain tumours are children. 62 percent of the children who survive a brain tumour will be left with a life-altering, long-term disability. Brain tumours kill more children than leukaemia or any other cancer.
There are more than 120 different kinds of brain tumours, which makes it a difficult illness to diagnose. As previously mentioned, the research for brain tumours is seriously under-funded and treatments lag behind other types of cancers.
Over £500 million are spent on cancer research in the UK each year. However, only two percent of the cancer research funding in the UK is spent on brain tumours. Up to 40 percent of all cancers will eventually spread to the brain. The Katy Holmes Trust shared the following statement sent by the government to them:
“Around £7m each year is currently being spent specifically on brain cancer. Of this £7m, 36% is provided by government and 64% by charity”.
It shouldn’t be this way when you think about the fact that the disease kills more children and adults under 40 than any other cancer type. Brain tumours also kill more women under the age of 35 than breast- or any other cancer and 65 percent more women than cervical cancer. Brain tumours also kill more men under the age of 45 than prostate or any other cancer.
Brain Tumour Action is a voluntary organisation located in Edinburgh. Their aim is to support people affected by brain tumours and to improve treatments through training and research. Their four biggest goals are:
- Support for patients and carers of those with a brain tumour
- Training programmes for those working with brain tumour sufferers
- Information on brain tumours and their treatment
- Research into brain tumours
To help raise money for Brain Tumour Action, you can raise funds when you shop online by using Easyfundraising. Easyfundraising is a shopping directory which includes Argos, Amazon, John Lewis, Toys R Us, and over 2000 others. Whenever you shop with them using the links provided on Easyfundraising’s website, you’ll generate a free donation for Brain Tumour Action of up to 15 percent of the purchase price. It’s free to register.
We would like to thank the following websites for providing statistics about brain tumours in the UK:
www.thebraintumourcharity.org
www.braintumourresearch.org
www.katyholmestrust.co.uk
www.cancerresearchuk.org
If you want to join the conversation about brain tumours go to the @CelebMixCares Twitter. You can also tweet us at @CelebMix.