Let's Talk About Brain Tumours

Coping with a brain tumour diagnosis brings huge challenges - from the shock of diagnosis to the anxiety of waiting for scan or test results , to relationships issues, physical changes and financial pressures .  These can be especially overwhelming for teenagers and young adults who are already navigating their education and growing independence. That’s where people today's guest comes in. Dr...

A marathon episode for marathon reasons! 136 people are taking part in the TCS London Marathon 2026 to raise funds for The Brain Tumour Charity.  We are hugely grateful to every single one of them - but couldn't possibly interview them all. So, some of our Involvement Champions chatted to some of our runners to find out their reasons for running - and we've edited excerpts from those con...

If you or a loved one have spent - or are planning to spend - hours searching online for treatment options or clinical studies into potential new brain tumour therapies, this episode is for you. If you're a scientist aiming to recruit people to a study, it's also for you. Professor Susan Short explains how her brainchild Access to Clinical Trials for Brain Tumours ( ACT-BT)  aims to lift...

Serious illness is a serious business. That’s why so many of us are determined to raise awareness of the urgent need to fund research to find more effective treatments, and for every patient – no matter where they live – to have access to the best possible care.  But people have told us that, in some circumstances, trying to find something to laugh about in a situation – usually dark humour – can...

We're delighted to be joined by Dr Scott Arthur MP for this special episode. Dr Arthur put forward a Private Members' Bill for rare cancers and on Thursday 5th March 2026, it went onto the statute books - becoming the Rare Cancers Act.  Listen in to find out more about what motivated a very new MP to get behind this particular cause; how 40 different organisations collaborated to make it...

Dr Tyler Miller was one of our Future Leaders. Now a Junior Fellow, he manages a team of 12 at his own lab.  Here he explains how this team is trying to figure out how to prevent our own immune cells from suppressing our immune system. Instead, he aims to turn part of a brain tumour's immune system - myeloid cells - into an effective army of immune agents that can both kill tumour cells and a...

Welcome to a new series of very short episodes of The Brain Tumour Charity podcast in which you’ll get to know key people in the brain tumour community.   The first part of the series is called Meet The Researcher and it's based on a webinar we hosted in 2025 that was all about immunology.   We’re kicking it off by introducing you to someone who’s trying to figure out how our body’s natural d...

At a reception in Westminster on 15th December, The Brain Tumour Charity released its report into the cost of a brain tumour diagnosis. The report makes the economic case for a National Brain Tumour Strategy to minimise these costs - both to the individual and to society. We unpick this report with Marcus Loney-Evans, Head of Policy and Campaigns at The Charity. You can read the full report here ....

The Brain Tumour Charity has released its report into the staggering cost of a brain tumour diagnosis to the UK economy. The report makes the economic case for a National Brain Tumour Strategy to minimise these costs - both to the individual and to society.  In part one of this episode, Anna unpicks some of the report's findings with Kimberley, who's living with a brain tumour diagnosis...

Hosts Anna and Andy mark two years since Dr Michele Afif became Chief Executive at The Brain Tumour Charity by asking about her early life, her previous careers in medicine and law - and a few more questions that we crowdsourced from our listeners.  In response, Michele explains how she's focused The Charity on turning its co-created strategy into a 'strategy in action'. She's...

In this episode, we'll hear from four of our much-valued Involvement Champions : Rebecca, Oriana, Claire and Mark. We recorded their presentations to the whole organisation as they explained why they wanted to become key voices in the  brain tumour community.  (Trigger warning, they talk about diagnosis and mental health issues, and their stories are very moving.) Then our host Anna Blyszko -...

After weeks of toil and training, The TCS London Marathon 2025 is just around the corner and The Brain Tumour Charity has 145 runners taking part this year - more than ever before!  Our Involvement Champion Imelda Turnock speaks to two of them - Barbara Prodger and David Barrow - about their reasons for running. But first, Andy Tudor gets some insider tips from our man at JustGiving .  Sam Gurry d...

Our focus in this episode is on friendships and close bonds. How does a brain tumour diagnosis affect our loved ones and who can we turn to for support or advice when we don’t want to worry or upset those closest to us?    To answer that question, Andy Tudor talks to five women who were all treated at the same hospital for the same meningioma diagnosis but who only met through one of The Brain Tum...

A warm welcome to Let's Talk About Brain Tumours! After a break since the summer, we're back to bring you interesting and informative conversations with members of the brain tumour community and at The Brain Tumour Charity. A new production team is now at the helm, so bear with us while we learn the ropes of podcast production. But we're delighted that our volunteer co-hosts remain...

Anna talks to Anna Solth and Victoria Wyes about their experiences of being neurosurgeons and women in the field of neuroscience.  They share their passion for neuroscience, discuss the work they are doing now and their plans for the future. If you or someone you know needs a listening ear, you can contact our Support Team by calling 0808 800 0004, by using the web chat on our website or by emaili...

We meet Gavin Burden and Louise Worthington who have both been diagnosed with brain tumours. Gavin has been living with his brain tumour since he was 21 - for 28 years. Gavin and Louise have been friends for a long time so when Louise was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2018 Gavin contacted her to offer support. In the episode, they share the difficulties of living with hidden disabilities as Gav...

Today, Chandos talks to Support Manager Beth Ryall, about the support available at The Brain Tumour Charity for people who are experiencing difficulties with their mental health following a brain tumour diagnosis. You can find out more about this  here  If you or someone you know needs a listening ear, you can contact our Support Team by calling 0808 800 0004, by using the web chat on our website...

Anya Jones and Kaz Melvin about their experiences of rehabilitation. Anya needed extensive rehabilitation after her diagnosis and treatment while Kaz has both personal and professional experience of brain tumours and rehab. She is a physiotherapist and she supported her sister Ria who sadly died from a glioblastoma in 2021. Anya and Kaz have worked with The Charity to create some resources to help...

Chandos talks to one of our Future Leaders: Dr Angel Alvarez-Prado. Angel is a highly accomplished researcher at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland where he is currently working on an innovative project to simultaneously target both cancer cells and their supporting immune microenvironment in the hope of finding more effective treatments for glioblastomas. Angel explains what his research i...

When Alex - also known as the performer Syren - was diagnosed with a rare paediatric brain tumour called DLGNT at the age of 20, his family found that there were limited treatment options. His mum, Katie, did her own research into how to best help Alex and found  out about the Everest Centre .  In February 2024, His dad Martin and three of his friends took on the Everest in the Alps challenge to r...

We talk to Liam Young about how physical fitness contributed to his recovery from treatment for a brain tumour. Liam found that the traditional route of counselling wasn't for him. His perfect form of therapy was with a personal trainer. At 25 he had never prioritised his health, but after his diagnosis Liam realised how important it was and that led to him embarking on a fitness program whic...

In this episode we talk to Bethan and Gbenga Adelekan who's son Ravi was diagnosed with a brain tumour when he was just 6 years old.  Despite this Ravi, now 8 has not let this stop him from using his experience to help others and also to continue to follow his own dreams! After his diagnosis and surgery, Ravi decided that he want to do something that would help other children like him and one...

In this episode Anna and Chandos talk to Ben Rimmer, a research assistant at Newcastle University and the work they are doing on the quality of life of people diagnosed with low grade glioma's.  The Ways Ahead research project aims to understand more about the lived experience of people with low grade gliomas and how to improve their quality of life.  You can find out more about the Ways Ahea...

In this episode Will Garrett talks about the death of his dad when he was just 11 and how this has shaped his life.  Will is now a Neuro Oncology Clinical Nurse Specialist, a career that was shaped by his experieces as a child where he now works with other families who are impacted by brain tumours. Will shares what it was like for him as an 11 year old and how he looks back on his experiences now...

In this episode Chandos talk with two of our Children and Families and Young Adults Workers Amy Watts and Jessie Poole  about the support that is available to families who have children under 18.  Some of the things mentioned in this episode include: Family Days Brainy Bags Online support group for parents Talking to children about brain tumours Taling to children about their brain tumour Teens In...