We Talk Brain Tumours

Evening all xx

It is with great sadness that I am on behalf of Martyn (Postmark) letting you know that Doreen has now entered a new phase of her illness. Just over a week ago Doreen deteriorated quite rapidly. At present Doreen is being cared for at home by Martyn and his family and thankfully the GP, District Nurses, Palliative Care Team and Agency Carers all seem to be pulling together to ensure Doreen is comfortable, Meds sorted, equipment delivered, Care package organised etc. Consequently Martyn is not able to post at the moment but sends kind regards to you all.

Lorraine x

Hello Martyn,
It's been a while but I wanted to say how very sorry I am to hear that Doreen's condition has changed. However much you know or expect in advance, changes, when they happen to you, are always a shock I think.
I'm so glad you have good support around you. It will give you the time to be with Doreen and that is the most important thing isn't it?
I wish you all the strength in the world to cope with this phase of Doreen's illness.

Very Best wishes,
Crazy Old Horse Caroline, xx

Martyn, our finest conductor,

Wishing you lots of strength to deal with whats in front of you.  Wish there was something to say that would help, but i know there really aren't any words.

Much much love to you and Doreen

B x x x

Martyn Sending you and Doreen big hugs and wishing you strength to cope with the next phase of Doreen's illness. You are such a caring man and your love for your wife shines through. I'm glad that the necessary support is there for you too.

Sue xxxxx

Love to both you and Doreen Martyn, take care our friend xxxxx

Dearest Martyn,

I am so sorry to hear of the recent changes in Doreen's condition.  You have been a tower of strength to so many people on this site.  Many names have come and gone.  Many of us struggling to get our lives back after our loss.  Many too who are newcomers - shocked and frightened, and wanting answers.  So often, it is you Martyn who is the first to reply.  When things have got tough for you however, you just take it all on the chin, never complaining, always selfless.  Now is the time for you to do what you do best, comforting Doreen, and giving her true quality of life.  I hope and pray you get good support for all the practical side of things.  All your old and new Mac mates are there for the emotional side - whenever you need us.

Love to you both

Ann

x

Big hug for you both at this difficult time. Here for you always. x

Dear Martyn & Doreen

Sending you both much love and strength.

Leah

xxx

You and Doreen are in my thoughts, not sure what else to say.

Lots of Love xxx

Just wanted to update you all. This is the latest relpy I've had from CRUK.....I need to digest whatt they've said before I reply!! Love to you all PEABS XXX

Thank you for contacting Cancer Research UK again. I’m sorry that my previous response did not fully answer your enquiry.  I hope that the information below addresses your specific questions about our brain tumour research.

You asked why we spend more money on breast cancer research compared to other types of cancer. To answer this, I first need to explain in a bit more detail how we fund research. I would like to stress that we don’t allocate “pots” of money to different cancer types. We fund only the best world-class research. We give out the majority of our research money in the form of grants to scientists. To receive such funding, a researcher will approach us with an application specifying the work they plan to do, along with detailed scientific evidence to support their proposal. These grants are then assessed by a panel of international experts, and judged on criteria such as scientific merit, feasibility and ethical approval. This peer review process ensures that we only fund the highest quality research which has the best chance of leading to benefits for people with cancer. This means that the amount spent on different types of cancer is determined by the grant proposals we receive.

We receive far more proposals for research into breast cancer than for any other type of cancer. We have analysed recent grant applications and found that breast cancer proposals are actually slightly less likely to be funded than the average. So we are by no means funding a disproportionately high number of the breast cancer research proposals we receive. We only fund the best research. And because we receive more proposals for breast cancer research than for other types, the result is that we spend more money on research into breast cancer than on research into other types of the disease. We do receive applications for brain tumour research but unfortunately not the same volume of applications as for others diseases, such as breast cancer.  You can read more about how we fund research in an article on our Science Update Blog:

http://scienceblog.cancerresearchuk.org/2009/10/27/the-multi-million-pound-question/

You also asked about the 40 projects, which are partly or wholly focusing on different types of brain tumours. I would like to point out that this does not mean that some are funded in collaboration with other funders. Instead, those grants that are partly focused on brain tumours are fully funded by Cancer Research UK, but a certain percentage of the project is dedicated to other cancers, as well as to brain tumours. To breakdown the figure further for you, I have analysed a snapshot of all of the projects that we are currently funding in this area. Ten of these are wholly focused on different types of brain tumours, and a further 30 are partly focusing on the disease. If you would like to find out more about our research portfolio, you can download a list of all of the grants that we funded in the 08/09 financial year from our website:

http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/aboutus/whoweare/ourreportsandaccounts/grants08_09/

You also questioned some of the statistics on our website regarding how many people are diagnosed with brain tumours each year in the UK. To clarify this, I have discussed this with our Head of Statistical Information. Her team collate figures from cancer registries across the UK and publish this information on our CancerStats website (http://info.cancerresearchuk.org/cancerstats/). This is widely regarded by experts as one of the leading sources of up to date cancer statistics in the UK.

She showed me a report published by Brain Tumour UK in March 2009 (http://www.braintumouruk.org.uk/PDF/Others/register_tumours_web_ed.pdf) in which the number of primary brain tumours in the UK is estimated to be 16,000. We have concerns over the reliability of this estimate because it is based on an assumption that only around 50 per cent of all brain tumours are recorded by cancer registries. Furthermore, the two studies behind the calculation are out of date and based on just two areas of the UK, which may not reflect national statistics.

In the last twelve months, we have updated our CancerStats website to include statistics for both malignant and non-malignant tumours of the brain and central nervous system (CNS; http://info.cancerresearchuk.org/cancerstats/types/brain/). In 2006, there were 4,532 malignant cases of brain and other CNS cancers diagnosed in the UK, around 7 per 100,000 of the population. In addition, there were around 3,470 non-invasive brain and other CNS tumours registered in the UK. In 2007, in the UK there were 3,611 deaths from malignant brain and other CNS cancers, which accounted for just over 2% of all cancer deaths. We are planning to publish a detailed report on brain tumours later this year, and we will be reviewing and updating the information on our CancerStats website.

With regard to your question about the doubling of survival rates for children’s cancer since the late 1960s, the statistics behind this come from the Charles Stiller ‘Childhood Cancer in Britain’ book, page 174 (Table 5.16). Five-year survival for children with brain and CNS tumours was 37 per cent in 1966-70, rising to 71 per cent in 1996-2000. However as you correctly point out, these cancers are now the biggest killer in children, overtaking leukaemia in the early 1990s. Please let me assure you that we are absolutely committed to improving survival and quality of life for all children with cancer, including those with brain tumours.

You also mentioned the research projects carried out by the Samantha Dickson Brain Tumour Trust (SDBTT). We welcome all research into brain tumours, and we agree that the charity also funds research that has been peer-reviewed by experts and selected on the basis of its quality. As I mentioned in my previous email, we do work with the SDBTT whenever we can, and I would like to update you on the joint funding initiative that we launched last year. To remind you, this joint initiative is a proactive move to boost clinical research into brain tumours. Our Clinical Trials Awards and Advisory Committee met in March to discuss the applications they received, and I am pleased to tell you that we will soon be able to announce the details of the projects that were recommended for funding. We hope this high quality research will yield new drugs and treatments for brain cancer.

Thank you again for contacting Cancer Research UK. I hope that you find this information interesting and it answers all of your questions.

With my very best wishes,

Alison
Supporter Administration Executive
Supporter Services
 
Cancer Research UK
10 Cambridge Terrace
Regent's Park
London

NW1 4JL