The incidence rate of Glioblastoma (GBM) in the UK has more than doubled in the years from 1995 to 2015 from 2.4 per 100,000 population to 5.0 according to a new research study(1) using ONS data. Meanwhile the total number of cases diagnosed has nearly tripled rising from 983 to 2531.
The researchers point out that GBM, a grade 4 cancer, is often diagnosed with no warning signs. And that the suddenness of its occurrence has been linked with a decline in the incidence of lower grade brain tumours. This decline has actually masked the increases in GBM.
The incidence remained consistent across all age groups and the researchers suggested that lifestyle and environmental factors were possible causes. The research study was prepared by Alasdair Philips and Professor Denis Henshaw, Trustees of Children with Cancer, Graham Lamburn of Powerwatch and Professor Michael O’Caroll.
In 2015, a study(2) by Brodbelt et al. reported on the survival times of 10,743 GBM cases across the years 2007 – 2011, recording a median survival of 6,1 months but 14.9 months if patients received the full gamut of orthodox treatment available in the UK.
Go to: Overview on Brain Cancer, symptoms, causes and alternative treatments
Ref
1. https://www.hindawi.com/journals/jeph/2018/7910752.
2. A. Brodbelt, D. Greenberg, T. Winters, M. Williams, S. Vernon, and V. P. Collins, “Glioblastoma in England: 2007–2011,” European Journal of Cancer, vol. 51, no. 4, pp. 533–542, 2015.
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