Music producer Pete Waterman has called for more funding to find a cure for brain cancer, after his son Paul died aged 33 in 2005 from what he suspects was an aggressive brain tumour. The 79-year-old, who helped launch Kylie Minogue's career, said he hopes for more funding so no one else goes through what his family did.
Son's deterioration and death
Paul deteriorated over several months in 2004, though Pete did not know the cause at the time. Paul was later taken to hospital and, while his parents were speaking with doctors, he choked on a sandwich. He was put on life support soon afterward but died in January the following year.
Pete said: "This is quite a brutal cancer. To watch your child deteriorate in front of your eyes for no apparent reason, it's pretty frightening." He added: "I don't want anybody to go through what I had to go through. A cure — that's all we want. It's easy to say, it's almost bloody impossible to achieve — but we'll say it anyway."
Visit to research centre
A brain cancer expert told Pete he believes Paul likely had a glioblastoma tumour. Pete visited the Brain Tumour Research Centre of Excellence at the University of Nottingham amid a search for a cure. He said: "You can't have a lab like this if you haven't got funding. And the more labs like this we've got, the more chance we've got of saving lives."
Brain tumours are the leading cause of cancer deaths in children and adults aged 40 and under in the UK. About 13,000 people are diagnosed with a primary brain tumour, and only 12.9 per cent of adults in England live five years or more following a diagnosis.
Government steps announced
Pete's call for more funding comes after Scots swimmer Archie Goodburn met with Prime Minister Andy Burnham to discuss steps to improve outcomes for those living with brain tumours. Burnham set out four steps he hoped would lead to new and faster treatments for patients.
Burnham called for a new national brain cancer clinical lead, an "immediate" expert review to assess what has changed for patients since a 2018 government review, the creation of a national action plan, and the MHRA to complete its review of the rules for medicines that treat rare conditions in two years instead of three, BBC reports.
"Archie is an inspiration to us all, and I am determined to deliver the change patients and their families deserve," said the Prime Minister following the meeting on Wednesday. "He has spoken passionately about the need for change on brain cancer, and he's right: progress hasn't been good enough, here or anywhere else. Families facing this disease can't afford to wait. That is why today we're committing to appoint a dedicated national lead and setting out how we'll get new treatments to patients faster. I strongly support this work and was delighted to welcome Archie to Downing Street to discuss it with him in person."
