STEPHEN Metcalfe, Member of Parliament for South Basildon & East Thurrock, joined Brain Tumour Research along with patients and carers for a special Brain Tumour Awareness Month event in Parliament on Wednesday 15 March 2017.
The event was held by Brain Tumour Research to mark the month of awareness and the charity’s Wear a Hat Day which takes place on Friday 31 March. It provided a platform for guests to talk to Members of Parliament about how they can help boost research into this deadly disease.
Mr Metcalfe has been a strong voice calling for greater awareness amongst the public of brain tumours and increased funding into research for a cure. At the event, hosted in the Speaker’s House, he met with patients, carers, scientists, and clinicians and heard about the challenges facing both those living with a brain tumour and those trying to secure much needed funding for research into cures.
There is currently a huge unmet need for brain tumour patients, with treatments not able to improve survival or quality of life in ways other cancer treatments can. Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer, yet just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease. On top of this, incidence has risen by 19% between 2002 and 2014 even without including the thousands of secondary brain tumours diagnosed every year. Less than 20% of brain tumour patients survive beyond five years of their diagnosis – compared with 86% for breast cancer and 51% for leukaemia.
Mr Metcalfe said:
‘I was grateful for the opportunity to attend this event in Parliament for Brain Tumour Awareness Month and to hear from patients, carers, and medical professionals who all have experience of fighting the awful disease.
‘It is clear that there is currently not enough investment into treatments and basic public understanding. For this reason it is crucial that we support funding efforts and find new ways of defeating brain tumours.
‘I hope that Brain Tumour Awareness month is a success in raising funding and boosting public awareness and I would like to thank Brain Tumour Research for all they have done in organising events across the country.’
