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4 Headlines FIGHTING A COLD- HEARTED KILLER Kiwi researchers leading the brain cancer counterattack T herapies are available but they’re nowhere near as effective as hoped, and little progress has been made in decades. It’s why research in this area is absolutely critical. Brain tumours are of two types. Primary brain tumours are those that arise in the brain, with around 1100-1200 Kiwis diagnosed each year. Even more people are affected by secondary, or metastatic, brain tumours, which are tumours in the brain that have metastasised from a cancer’s primary site (e.g. lung or breast.) Malignant primary brain tumours, such as glioblastoma (300-400 each year), have a high mortality rate and can cause many debilitating changes before a patient dies. Symptoms include increasingly strong headaches, blurred vision, loss of balance, confusion and seizures. Survival depends on the type of tumour, but for glioblastoma, the median survival time is a mere 12 months. Developing new treatments is no easy task, though. In the words of Dr Thomas Park, one of the researchers featured in this issue, the condition must be viewed as ‘a brain’s tumour rather than a tumour in the brain’. By this, he means that these tumours aren’t like any that develop in other parts of the body – they act and respond differently because the brain is a unique organ. Finding an effective treatment, and hopefully a cure, is a huge challenge, but in this issue we feature several researchers who are making it their life goal to do just that. A brain tumour diagnosis is life-changing. Diagnosis brings with it fear, isolation, disempowerment and a loss of control. This is where Brain Tumour Support NZ can help. Brain Tumour Support NZ advocates for the best treatments, care and support for patients, so they can have the best possible outcomes and quality of life. To find out how you can get support, visit braintumoursupport.org.nz email hi@braintumoursupport.org.nz or call (027) 292-3337 There’s no easy way to talk about brain cancer; no sugar-coating this devastating disease. Because while benign tumours can be completely removed, possibly allowing a patient to live a long and healthy life, cancerous tumours are notoriously difficult to treat.