Brain Tumour Awareness Month Part Four: The Joseph Foote Charitable Trust

As you all know, The Bugg sisters are busy looking after their mum Shirley, who is sadly battling a brain tumour. Rochelle Bugg is a very good friend of mine and she has mentioned the Joseph Foote Charitable Trust several times. I decided to learn more about them and highlight the fabulous work they do for families like the Buggs.

Joseph Foote was 2 ½ years old when he was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2000. Somehow this incredible young boy managed to battle the tumour for 7 years before it took him from his family in September 2007.  He was nine years old.

His family decided to raise money in Joseph’s memory to support those battling brain tumours and to fund more research into this terrible disease. Joseph’s courage and bravery continues to live on in his loved one’s tireless battle to save others from a similar fate.

The trust’s main aim is to fund vital research into brain tumours so that survival rates can ride from 15% to 80%. They hope to achieve this by doing three things:

·     * Funding and promoting research into the nature, causes, diagnosis and treatment of brain tumours.

·     * Providing financial and other support to brain tumour sufferers and their families

·     * Promoting greater public awareness and more education regarding brain tumours

The trust has some alarming statistics which I would like to share with you:

• ·         Currently less than 15% of brain tumour sufferers survive their battle
•           48,000 people in the UK are diagnosed every year. 
•           16,000 of those are suffering from a primary brain tumour and 32,000 with a    secondary brain tumour 
• ·         20-25% of all cancers spread to the brain
• ·         Brain tumours are the biggest cancer killer of children in the UK
• ·         Brain tumours kill more people under 40 than any other cancer
• ·         65% more women die from a brain tumour then from cervical cancer
• ·         Every year the number of brain tumour sufferers rises by about 4%
• ·         Research into brain tumours is significantly behind research into other cancers
• ·         Current treatment methods can frequently lead to significant, life limiting deficits
• ·         There are more than 120 different types of brain tumour each requiring different treatments
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      The trust does a lot of research into brain tumours. Their main aim is to improve the survival rate for children with brain tumours and to reduce the damage treatment can create by understanding the biology of tumours. They do this by:

• ·     Conducting extensive genomic analyses of children’s brain tumours to identify cancer causing genetic abnormalities
• ·     Developing model systems in order to better understand:  WHERE brain tumours come from, HOW they develop resistance to treatment, and the study WHAT effect the abnormal genes driving cancer have in normal cells
• ·     Identifying novel markers for predicting treatment response and determining prognosis
• ·     Translating knowledge of tumour biology into effective new cures for brain tumours through pre-clinical trials of molecular targeted therapies

The trust uses cutting edge genetic techniques in their labs to provide detailed assessments of tumour biology. The research the trust conducts is done by a highly professional and well trained group of staff with varied background and skills.

The trust takes on the responsibility of educating the public about brain tumours and improving awareness amongst the public, the government and medical professionals. They hope this increased awareness will put pressure on the powers that be to create positive changes in the field of brain tumours and generate more research and funding.  The trust regularly uses TV and radio as well as press coverage to create awareness.

The trust is also now a member of the Brain Tumour Consortium which is a coalition of brain tumour organisations striving for the same three core values:

1. To ensure early diagnosis and treatment by ensuring that clear guidelines on identifying the signs and symptoms of brain tumours, and on referring patients for rapid and appropriate assessment, are integrated into General Practice and Emergency Medicine Practice. 

- To implement NICE's best practice guidance by setting a clear timetable to fully implement and audit the Improving Outcomes Guidance, or its country equivalent, in particular by ensuring that the Health and Social Care Bill maintains the progress made to date. 

- To increase Government investment in brain tumour research and more accurately measure numbers of both primary and secondary brain tumours by publishing a detailed breakdown of site-specific brain tumour research funding from the Government and ensure that by 2014 at least 7.5% of adults with primary brain tumours are enrolled in randomised controlled clinical trials as part of their therapy. 

Anybody working this hard for people in need deserves support. I think this trust is absolutely amazing and I fully support all the work they do. If you would like to find out more, please visit their website or find them on Facebook/Twitter. You can also find out about how to get involved and support the trust. They have a £1,000 challenge which is well worth looking at.

www.josephfoote.co.uk

xxx