Clwyd West MS Darren Millar has shown his support for The Brain Tumour Charity’s flagship new campaign, Better Safe than Tumour, to raise awareness of the common signs and symptoms of brain tumours in children and adults.

The campaign aims to support the public  - whether adults, children, parents, partners or friends - to be aware of the possible signs and symptoms and to get any concerning or persistent symptoms checked out by a doctor.

Better Safe than Tumour builds on the success of The Brain Tumour Charity’s prior initiative, HeadSmart, which launched in 2009 in partnership with the Royal College of Paediatric and Child Health and the University of Nottingham, to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms in children and teenagers.

Following HeadSmart’s impact in helping reduce average diagnosis times in younger people from 13 to 6.5 weeks, the award-winning campaign has now been refreshed and expanded to cover the signs and symptoms in both children and adults.

Darren is encouraging his constituents to get to know the different signs and symptoms by age group and to help The Brain Tumour Charity spread the word about the campaign, to help ensure more people get the diagnosis and treatment they need at the earliest opportunity.

He said:

“Over 12,000 people are diagnosed with a brain tumour every year in the UK and the disease remains the leading cancer killer of children and adults under 40. This is why I’m urging everyone in Clwyd West to get to know the possible signs and symptoms and to share this vital campaign with their loved ones, colleagues and friends.

“Brain tumours continue to have such a major impact on the lives of those diagnosed and I am proud to support The Brain Tumour Charity’s ‘Better Safe than Tumour’ campaign to raise awareness locally of the signs and symptoms and the impact of the disease.”

Jamie Lederhose, Head of External Affairs at The Brain Tumour Charity, which funds world-class research and provides specialist support and information for those affected, said:

“We’re so grateful to Darren for joining our campaign to support more people to recognise the common signs and symptoms of brain tumours.

“While brain tumours are still uncommon, incidence has continued to rise significantly over the last two decades, and this has unfortunately not yet been matched by the tangible progress in diagnosis, treatment and survival outcomes seen in many other cancers – and we need to act now.

“It’s so important that we see greater awareness of the signs and symptoms to ensure anyone affected can get the diagnosis, treatment and support they need at the earliest opportunity, and we hope that everyone in Conwy and Denighshire will get behind the campaign too.

“The warning signs vary by age group, as well as due to the type of tumour and where in the brain it is located. We’d encourage anyone who is worried about a symptom that’s unusual for them, and particularly if it is persistent or they experience a combination of symptoms, to speak to their doctor – to help rule a brain tumour out.”

To find out more about the possible signs of a brain tumour or to order Better Safe than Tumour symptom cards or posters to distribute in your area, visit headsmart.org.uk