Here at The Brain Tumour Charity, we are determined to ensure that a faster, better diagnosis for all those affected by brain tumours is achieved. It’s one of the key pillars of our call for a National Brain Tumour Strategy.
In 2023, we published our Fighting for a Faster Diagnosis report. In that same year, members of our Scottish Steering Committee (SSC) chose to focus on achieving a faster, better diagnosis. This led to the publishing of our Understanding the Barriers to Diagnosis in Scotland roundtable report. Most recently at the beginning of this month, we launched our latest policy report on diagnosis: Exploring GP Access to Imaging in England.
Previously, we have shared evidence showing that a faster diagnosis can have many benefits. It can increase trust in the healthcare system; provide a person with a greater chance of participating in research; enable someone to better withstand treatment and potentially reduce the number of initial surgeries that are conducted as emergency procedures. However, new initial insights from Dxcover Limited’s (a clinical-stage diagnostics company), real-world evidence study suggest that an earlier diagnosis may also improve a person’s prognosis.
Background
Using past medical records from a registry of 1,196 patients with brain tumours in Edinburgh, Scotland, researchers at Dxcover sought to investigate associations between brain tumour size and outcomes as well as time to treatment and outcomes.
The analysis included 1196 adults who were diagnosed with a primary or secondary brain tumour between January 1, 2010, and May 31, 2020. The cohort included 459 patients with glioblastoma (GBM), 587 patients with non-GBM primary brain tumours, and 150 patients with metastasis.
What does the data indicate?
Interestingly, the study found that the size of a brain tumour at the time of diagnosis plays a significant role in a person’s outcome. Simply put the study suggests that the smaller the tumour when it’s discovered, the better the chances of survival and longer-term recovery.
Encouragingly, their data indicates that this may be especially true for glioblastoma (GBM), one of the most aggressive and fast-growing types of brain cancer.
By using previous studies, the researchers estimated how much smaller a tumour might have been just one month earlier. For example, if someone is diagnosed with a 60millimetre tumour, that tumour could have been nearly half the size just a month before.
The findings indicate that an earlier diagnosis could reduce a person’s risk of dying within a given year as a result of a brain tumour by as much as 28%. That could mean more people living at least one year after diagnosis (up to 42% instead of 30%), and more surviving three years or longer. It could also mean shorter hospital stays and lower treatment costs.
Additionally, the study found that fewer people with glioblastoma (GBM) passed away within the first 30 days after their diagnosis or treatment, when diagnosed earlier. This drop in early deaths is what researchers call a “statistically significant reduction,” which means the result is highly unlikely to be due to chance. This is hopeful to see but requires a larger study to confirm.
What this means for brain tumours: thoughts of an expert
In the announcement of these findings, Professor Paul Brennan, professor of clinical and experimental neurosurgery at the University of Edinburgh, author of the study and member of our SSC, shared:
“Prioritising people with symptoms of a possible brain tumour for urgent brain imaging does matter.
“These new data make it clear that identifying tumours when they are smaller benefits patients, reducing the duration of time in hospital, and increasing survival times. I hope these findings will encourage clinicians and health care organisations to implement strategies to help diagnose brain tumours at the earliest stages, so that appropriate therapy can be initiated as quickly as possible.”
More studies required
It’s encouraging to see this real-world evidence study indicate an association between an earlier diagnosis and improved outcomes for those affected by brain tumours.
The study gives us hope and reinforces what many in the brain tumour community already know: time matters. This can only enhance our call for a faster, better diagnosis to be achieved and follows some of the other benefits of a faster diagnosis which have already been identified.
However, the team at Dxcover have acknowledged that these are initial findings. While promising, more studies must be conducted to improve our understanding of the link between an earlier diagnosis and better outcomes for people affected by brain tumours.
More information can be found via this article by Med Tech Insights.