Babakhanlou R, Midgley P, and Beattie TF
Child Life and Health, University of Edinburgh, Scotland
Scientific Tracks Abstracts: J Cancer Sci Ther
Background: There are significant delays in making a timely diagnosis of brain tumours in children, with a â��time-to-diagnosisâ�� of more than three months being reported (1). This study aims to identify if physicians are aware of â��red flagâ�� signs and symptoms for brain tumours in various paediatric age groups, necessitating further investigation. Materials and Methods: A questionnaire was distributed to clinicians from various specialties in a teaching hospital in the UK, who were involved in early and late management of children with suspected brain tumour. Data was collected prospectively and entered onto an Excel �© spreadsheet for analysis. Results: A total of 60 questionnaires were returned from a variety of clinicians including Paediatricians and Emergency Physicians. Discussion: The six symptoms/signs above which more than 60% of clinicians consider as â��red flagsâ�� for brain tumour follow standard teaching about presentation of brain tumour (2). Even rare symptoms/signs were identified as triggers by some of the clinicians (50-75%). This indicates a high level of knowledge about clinical signs/symptoms of brain tumours. The question then arises why the diagnosis is made so late. Conclusion: This small study suggests knowledge may not be the only factor to be addressed if earlier diagnosis of brain tumour in children is to be improved.
Research activities developed within Catherine Guillou’s group are centred on the development of new methodologies, their application to the total synthesis of biologically active natural products and the design of enzyme inhibitors involved in cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. She is co-authors of 52 publications and 8 patents.
Email: babakhanlour@gmail.com
Cancer Science & Therapy received 5282 citations as per Google Scholar report
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