Patients suffering from brain tumours in the UK are increasingly forced to crowdfund for treatment abroad due to a critical lack of research and innovation in domestic care, a new report reveals. Data compiled by The Brain Tumour Charity and GoFundMe indicates that one in ten brain tumour fundraisers on the platform specifically mention seeking medical intervention overseas.
This desperation is exemplified by a food scientist, who, having exhausted all NHS treatment options, is now crowdfunding for care in Germany. Similarly, a mother-of-two has resorted to raffling her home to finance overseas treatment.
The charity's report highlights that new brain tumour treatments are 'consistently disadvantaged' by a healthcare system primarily structured to address more prevalent conditions. This limited access, coupled with sluggish research pipelines, compels patients to undertake significant financial risks to pursue therapies they have discovered independently online.
Natalie Harding died from an aggressive brain tumour in 2021 at age 31, just seven weeks after her wedding. She had crowdfunded treatment abroad, and her mother Liz Paul says the care she received in Germany 'bought us time'. The food scientist from Wellingborough was diagnosed in 2017 after a sudden seizure. After exhausting NHS options, she found a cancer vaccine in Germany costing £50,000 per round of three treatments.
Beauty therapist Claire Nutter, 48, launched a £5-a-ticket raffle to win her £800,000 home in Burnley, Lancashire, in January. She is hoping to fund specialist surgery and therapy in Germany for her brain tumour, at a cost of £350,000. After diagnosis in 2023, only 50% of her tumour could be removed safely, and chemotherapy has not reduced it.
Cameron Miller, director of strategy at The Brain Tumour Charity, said: 'Brain tumours present a profound and enduring challenge for individuals and health systems due to the nature of the disease. We need to see a cultural and structural shift in how we approach innovation in this country; only then will the UK reach its potential to be the life science super power we all want and need.'
