As we mark the 75^th birthday of the National Health Service (NHS), we are celebrating the important work this much-loved institution does.  

Since its creation, the NHS has evolved to meet the needs of our changing society, achieving huge medical breakthroughs, including the world’s first liver, heart and lung transplant in 1987. And more recently, finding the world’s first effective COVID-19 treatment and vaccine roll-out programme.   

For the brain tumour community, the development of the drug temozolomide in the UK, approved by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in 2001 as ‘second line’ therapy for people with brain tumours that had come back after treatment, and then as a front-line drug for people newly diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2007, has made a significant difference to the treatment and control of the disease, giving patients precious months and years with their families.  

At Brain Tumour Research, we believe that the pathway to improving peoples’ lives and outcomes is through high quality research. We very much echo the NHS’s motto that patients need to “come first in everything we do”.   

Brain Tumour Research Director of Research, Policy and Innovation, Dr Karen Noble, said: “Clinical research has historically been one of the strengths of the NHS, leading to advances in clinical care, supported by a national healthcare system and life sciences industry. We welcome the recent developments in genomic medicine for cancer treatments but going forward, we’d like to see improved communication around the value of brain tumour research. Moreover, as highlighted in the recent All-Party Parliamentary Group on Brain Tumours (APPGBT) Inquiry there is an uneven distribution of clinical trials across the country, inequality of access for trials, a lack of staff time for research and a lack of NHS resource to support those patients on funded research studies. These are all important issues we’d like addressed.”  

Our Policy and Public Affairs Officer, Thomas Brayford, said: “A massive thank you to all the staff that work in our NHS, across the country. Thanks for showing enormous care and compassion. Happy 75^th birthday to our NHS.”  

Related reading: 

• Celebrating research
• Treatments for brain tumours