http://www.headsmart.org.uk/home/
The new launch of a campaign is urging parents to know the warning signs of brain tumors, which are considered to be the leading cause of cancer deaths in children.
In one year, 500 children and young people will develop brain tumor and a quarter of all child cancers occur in the brain.
Warning signs include fits, recurring vomiting and headaches, blurred vision, abnormal eye movements and trouble seeing. A child may also experience troubles with coordination and balance, as well as fatigue and other behavioral changes.
The campaign, HeadSmart is a joint project with the Children’s Brain Tumor Research Center at the University of Nottingham, the Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health and the Samantha Dickson Brain Tumor Trust.
In Britain, it has been reported that it can take as much as three times longer to get a correct diagnosis for a brain tumor than places such as the US and Canada.
Professor David Walker from the Children’s Brain Tumor Research Center states: “The longer the delay between symptoms onset and diagnosis, the greater the risk of early death and the greater the risk of brain injury which may not subsequently fully recover”.
The campaign hopes to promote awareness for parents to be aware of the warning signs of a brain tumor in efforts to reduce the risk of cancer or brain damage.
