Advocacy for brain tumours

Brain tumours include different entities in terms of pathology, clinical characteristics, and therapeutic options; however, all represent an important cause of morbidity and mortality. The symptom burden of brain tumour patients is extremely high, and the different phases of the disease (at diagnosis, after surgery, during the adjuvant treatments, when progressive disease) pose specific problems to be managed. Rehabilitation, both at physical and cognitive levels, is increasingly required following the improvement of overall survival. The neurological complications of systemic cancer can negatively impact the quality of life of patients while cured from their primary tumour. Many aspects in neuro-oncology require advocacy. Among them, the cooperation between physicians, nurses, and caregivers, and an appropriate education of medical professionals on how to best manage brain tumour patients are the most critical. Moreover, we must work to guarantee the access for all patients to the best diagnostic and therapeutic tools by lobbying the Public National and European Institutions.