Roughly one in 69 men and one in 65 women in the UK will be diagnosed with a brain tumour in their lifetime, according to Cancer Research.
When there is a mass or growth of abnormal cells occurring in the brain, this is known as a brain tumour.
There are different types of brain tumours, with some being noncancerous while others may be cancerous.
The abnormal cells can either be in the brain or they can start in other parts of the body, moving later as secondary brain tumours.
But a pioneering new treatment has been hailed “promising” for the fight against the disease.
Signs of brain cancer
Symptoms of a brain tumour are known to vary depending on the exact part of the brain affected.
Gastrointestinal symptoms of brain cancer can include persistently feeling sick or vomiting.
Other signs may include drowsiness or mental or behavioural changes, including memory problems or changes in personality.
According to the NHS, other symptoms of brain cancer may include:
- Headaches
- Seizures (fits)
- Progressive weakness or paralysis on one side of the body
- Vision or speech problems.
New drug to fight brain tumours
The most aggressive type of brain tumours is glioblastoma, which occurs in the brain and the spinal cord. It is what The Wanted singer Tom Parker died of in March 2022.
Mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) commonly occur in glioblastoma.
The prognosis is bleak as only 5% of people with glioblastoma live for more than five years after diagnosis.
But researchers in the US have found a potential way to help stop these aggressive tumours in the brain.
Study author Suyun Huang and Paul Corman, chair in cancer research and member of the Cancer Biology research program at Massey, said: "Targeting EGFR has been regarded as a promising therapeutic strategy.
"However, the underlying cellular processes through which EGFR contributes to tumour growth are largely unknown."
The discovery has been deemed “promising” in the fight against cancers and tumours in the brain.
A previous study found by targeting body clock proteins it could help stop the growth of glioblastoma.
Body clock proteins control a person’s circadian rhythms, which helps us to wake up and go to sleep.
It was found that cancer stem cells may spread quickly by taking control of the body’s circadian clock mechanisms.
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