Olympian Tom Daley appeals for funding of ‘groundbreaking’ cannabis brain tumour trial

Tom Daley has joined The Brain Tumour Charity appeal to fund the ‘groundbreaking’ trial of a cannabis-based drug that could help to treat an aggressive form of cancer.

The Olympian lost his father, Robert who died from a brain tumour aged 40 in 2011.

The appeal by The Brain Tumour Charity hopes to raise the £450,000 which is needed to fund the three-year trial. It will begin recruiting 232 patients at 15 hospitals across the UK early next year.

Read more about the study here

Olympian support

In a video, Tom said: “We are reaching out to all you individual heroes and supporters, to help fund this groundbreaking trial. When you donate, you’ll receive a link for your social media badge of honour. Join our community, spread the word and help us pave the way to beating brain tumours”.

Tom has been advocating and campaigning for charity since the loss of his father. He recently raffled off a jumper he made helping to raise £5,787 in 14 days. The Olympic champion diver was seen knitting a dog sweater at one of the recent swimming events. He took up knitting to help with his mental health and stress during lockdown.

The study

The study led by the University of Leeds and coordinated by the Cancer Research UK Clinical Trials Unit at the University of Birmingham will examine if adding Sativex to chemotherapy could extend life for people diagnosed with recurrent glioblastoma or delay the progression of the disease. Sativex is a cannabis-based drug normally prescribed to MS patients.

If the trial is successful, it could be one of the first additions to NHS treatment for glioblastoma patients in more than a decade.

The condition is one of the most common and aggressive forms of brain cancer. There are currently 2,200 people diagnosed in England each year.

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