Brain tumour research

The brain is a soft spongy mass of nerve cells and supporting tissue. Around 4,500 people are diagnosed with brain tumours, or cancer of the central nervous system, in the UK every year.

Brain tumours are often hard to treat, so research in this area is vital. For children, the survival rates have doubled since the 1960s.

Cancer Research UK supports a broad programme of research into brain tumours. We want to understand their biology and improve diagnosis and treatment.

We have made great progress in the design and development of drugs. For example, we funded research that led to the development of temozolomide, a drug that is used to treat people with some types of brain tumour. It can be taken orally, which means patients don’t have to attend lots of hospital appointments.

You can find out more about brain tumours on our CancerHelp website.

Below are some of the highlights of our brain tumour research portfolio.