Wear A Hat Day! Increasing awareness of the devastating impact of brain tumours

The awareness day has been running for 10 years and aims to emphasise the impact of head and brain tumours. 

Brain Tumour Research is working towards understanding the origins of brain tumours to create tailored treatments and re-purposing existing drugs to increase options for targeting brain tumours. Brain Tumour Research also hopes that, in future, it will be possible to starve cancer cells of the energy they need to grow and create opportunities to expand and identify mutations in low-grade brain tumours that dangerously accelerate growth. 

What are the symptoms of brain tumours?

Brain tumours can be difficult to identify as many of the symptoms could also be attributed to another type of illness. The most common symptoms are caused by an increase in intracranial pressure as a result of the growth of a tumour in the brain.

Headaches caused by a brain tumour tend to:

• Be severe and persistent;
• Are often worse in the morning;
• Become worse over a number of days;
• Evoke stabbing pains if there is anything that increases the pressure in the skull, for such as coughing, shouting or doing exercise.

There are many other symptoms including changes in vision, continuing nausea, extreme drowsiness, tinnitus, unexplained twitching, seizures, loss of balance, numbness, behavioural changes, impaired memory and problems with speech and writing.

Why is raising awareness of brain tumours important?

Brain tumours are responsible for the deaths of more adults and children under 40 than any other type of cancer.

The direct cause of brain tumours is yet to be established, although there are more than 120 types of brain tumour. High-grade or malignant brain tumours are aggressive, can spread quickly in the brain and are usually a serious threat to life. Low-grade or benign brain tumours develop at a slower pace and are not usually life threatening at first, although they can still have a potentially dangerous impact on a person’s well-being.

It is vital to raise awareness of brain tumours because of the vast numbers of individuals who lose their life to this disease. The symptoms are not widely known and if you suspect something is wrong, or if you’re experiencing a combination of the symptoms discussed together or in succession, then it is important to act quickly. Early detection and treatment may avoid acute complications later on, so it is essential that you are referred to a neurologist at the earliest opportunity and an MRI scan is carried out to determine whether there are any abnormalities.

The Clinical Negligence team at Leigh Day has experience of acting for patients who have experienced issues such as misdiagnosis, delays in diagnosing brain tumours and inappropriate advice on treatment options. The team is happy to provide initial advice and have an informal, no obligation discussion with anyone who has concerns about the care they have received in relation to diagnosis and management of brain tumours.

Ways to get involved in Wear a Hat Day

• Join people organising and taking part in colourful, hat-themed events
• Buy ‘Wear a Hat Day’ merchandise
• Post a group photo wearing hats or even a hat selfie on social media to promote awareness
• Sponsor a day of brain tumour research to find a cure for brain tumours
• Make a donation to help increase education and knowledge of the disease