Invest in brain cancer and give rights – turn terminal into treatable
The Parliament petitions site records 109,063 signatures for this petition, which closed on 8 March 2026. The Government responded on 3 October 2025. MPs debated it in Westminster Hall on 15 June 2026.
The petition
The petition's creator is not named in the Petitions site's published record. Quoted in full from the UK Parliament petitions site.
Invest in brain cancer and give rights – turn terminal into treatable
Brain cancer is the biggest cancer killer of children and adults under 40, 87% with a high-grade brain tumour diagnosis die within 5 yrs, and yet it gets just 1% of the national spend on cancer.
We call on the government to increase research funding and legally enshrine the right to try: genome sequencing, trials, immunotherapy, repurposed drugs and vaccines.
1. Increase brain cancer funding to speed up discoveries and trials.
2. Funding so every patient can access whole genome sequencing with personalised treatment.
3. Enshrine the Right to Try innovative treatments.
Treatments haven’t changed in decades. Increase funding and give patients a fighting chance.
The Government's response
The Government published its response on 3 October 2025; the petitions site lists the Department of Health and Social Care as responsible. Its summary:
Every brain cancer diagnosis has life-changing impact on patients and their families. Research is vital to ensure people can get the most effective cutting-edge treatments and highest quality care.
The opening 367 words of the 724-word response:
Between 2018/19 and 2023/24, the Department of Health and Social Care, via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) directly invested £11.8 million in research projects and programmes focused on brain tumours. NIHR’s wider investments in research infrastructure are estimated to be £37.5 million, supporting the delivery of 261 brain tumour research studies and enabling over 11,400 people to participate in potentially life-changing brain tumour research.
However, we understand that more needs to be done to boost research into brain tumours. That is why we are working closely with the patient and researcher communities to stimulate high-quality research applications through:
(i) establishing a national Brain Tumour Research Consortium to bring together researchers from different disciplines to drive scientific advancements in how to prevent, detect, manage and treat brain tumours
(ii) a dedicated funding call for research into wraparound care and rehabilitation for people living with brain tumours
(iii) a partnership with the Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission to fund the next generation of researchers through the Allied Health Professionals Brain Tumour Research Fellowship programme.
In terms of access to Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS), in November 2020, the NHS became the first national health system in the world to offer WGS as part of routine care. All paediatric, teenage and adult patients with central nervous system/brain tumours are eligible for WGS as represented in the National Genomic Test Directory, which provides guidance on which patients may benefit from genomic testing, alongside the genomic targets to be tested and appropriate technology that should be used.
Genomic testing in the NHS in England is provided through the NHS Genomic Medicine Service (NHS GMS). As outlined in the 10 Year Health Plan, the NHS GMS will work with industry, academia and other partners to generate evidence and models of adoption for genomic innovations in specific priority areas, such as cancer. This will inform commissioning decisions, accelerate adoption and ensure equity of access to genomic testing across England. Additionally, the NHS GMS will roll out a Unified Genomic Record to integrate patient genomic data with relevant clinical and diagnostic data, shorten genomic testing turnaround times, and work with industry to align testing with clinical trials targets and precision medicine access.
Read the full response on the petitions site.
Where the signatures came from
Signatures came from 650 constituencies. Measured against each constituency's electorate at the 2024 general election, the most came from Morecambe and Lunesdale, with 24.7 signatures per 1,000 electors (1,888 in all).
108,176 of the signatures were from the UK and 887 from elsewhere, by the location signers gave.
| Constituency | Signatures | Electorate, July 2024 | Per 1,000 electors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morecambe and Lunesdale | 1,888 | 76,424 | 24.7 |
| Barrow and Furness | 1,770 | 74,980 | 23.6 |
| Goole and Pocklington | 1,848 | 79,925 | 23.1 |
| Westmorland and Lonsdale | 1,241 | 72,029 | 17.2 |
| East Renfrewshire | 1,230 | 74,626 | 16.5 |
| Lancaster and Wyre | 1,125 | 74,760 | 15.0 |
| Edinburgh West | 988 | 76,490 | 12.9 |
| Mid Bedfordshire | 915 | 75,457 | 12.1 |
| Skipton and Ripon | 717 | 79,238 | 9.0 |
| East Kilbride and Strathaven | 607 | 76,414 | 7.9 |
| Region | Signatures |
|---|---|
| North West | 17,147 |
| South East | 16,316 |
| Scotland | 15,988 |
| East of England | 11,054 |
| London | 9,129 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 8,667 |
| South West | 8,033 |
| West Midlands | 5,880 |
| East Midlands | 5,513 |
| Wales | 3,990 |
| Northern Ireland | 2,878 |
| North East | 2,714 |
Debate in Parliament
MPs debated the petition in Westminster Hall on 15 June 2026. Read the debate in Hansard. House of Commons Library debate pack.
Source and receipt
- https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/738881.jsonUK Parliament Petitions API · read 2026-10-15 · SHA-256
5b74b077d3507fc2… - The petition on petition.parliament.uk
The petition's words are its creator's and the response is the Government's; this site quotes both and gives no view on either. Signature counts can still change while a petition is open. To report an error, send a correction request.