Study open in Bristol aims to address the urgent need to identify brain tumours earlier

A study that aims to find new ways of identifying and treating brain tumours has opened in Bristol.

In the UK, there are currently around 60,000 patients living with a brain tumour. Evidence also shows that only 20% of brain tumour patients are alive five years after diagnosis, in part because they often present late with large inoperable tumours. In 2013, 38% of brain tumour patients visited their GP five times or more before receiving a referral for diagnosis by MRI/CT scan and neurosurgical biopsy. This is because the symptoms of a brain tumour, such as headaches, aren’t specific to the condition which can make diagnosis more difficult.

The new study, called 'Identifying and validating molecular targets in nervous system tissue', is supported by the National Institute for Health Research. Open at North Bristol NHS Trust, the study aims to address the urgent need to develop new tests to help identify brain tumours earlier.

Currently, benign and malignant brain tumours are treated by surgery or radiation therapy either with or without chemotherapy. It is also hoped that the study will identify ways in which positive responses to drug treatment may be possible in the future.

Professor Kathreena Kurian, Chief Investigator for the study said: “The sooner that people with a brain tumour receive the right diagnosis, the more successful treatment is likely to be. That’s why this study is really important, to help us find new ways of identifying brain tumours in the early stages.

“The results from this study have the potential to be life-changing for the thousands of people who are diagnosed with a brain tumour each year. I would encourage anyone in the Bristol area who thinks they might be eligible to volunteer, to get in touch with the study team.”

Andy donated tissue from his son, Matthew, to the study after he passed away from a brain tumour in 2018. Andy said: “Matthew wanted to take part in research when he was first diagnosed, but didn’t have the opportunity. When he was doing his medical training, he’d always badger his friends to give blood and be donors. He convinced me to be a platelet donor. So I knew that if he was alive he would have wanted to be involved.

“I felt it was a way of making the most out of what Matthew went through, in a way taking the baton from him and continuing to run the race he started. When he was recovering, Matthew thought about doing a PhD in brain tumour research, so it’s great that he is still able to contribute in this way.

“I know that Matthew would strongly encourage other people to get involved too. It might not benefit those who donate tissue but it will hopefully benefit others in the future. My uncle had a brain tumour in the 50s and little has really changed in the treatment of brain tumours since then. It’s only through research like this that together we will be able to find the solution that stops others having to go through what Matthew did”

Anyone interested in finding out more about taking part in the study, can contact Professor Kurian at Kathreena.kurian@bristol.ac.uk.

Read Matthew's full story.