If you or someone you love has ever faced a cancer diagnosis, you know how quickly life can change. For families dealing with glioblastoma—the most aggressive form of brain tumour—those changes are often swift, overwhelming, and deeply unfair. In the UK, around 3,000 people are diagnosed with glioblastoma each year, and the standard NHS treatments, while essential, don’t always offer the hope families are seeking.
Glioblastoma Care in the UK: Harsh Realities
Glioblastoma progresses rapidly and is resistant to conventional therapies. According to a 2025 population-based study, only 29% of patients in England receive the full combination of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, while 21% receive no treatment at all (Le Calvez et al., 2025). The median survival time for those diagnosed is just 12 to 15 months, and for many, the options available through the NHS are limited by both funding and regulatory hurdles.
The NHS vs. Private Treatments: What’s Available
Comparing data from the NHS and organisations like Cancer Research UK, here are the latest treatments available to patients:
NHS-Approved Treatments for Glioblastoma:
- Surgery: The primary goal is to remove as much of the tumour as safely possible to reduce symptoms and improve prognosis.
- Radiotherapy: This uses high-energy radiation to destroy cancer cells and is typically given after surgery. It can help control tumour growth and extend survival.
- Chemotherapy: Temozolomide (TMZ) is the most common chemotherapy drug used for glioblastoma, often given alongside or after radiotherapy. It works by damaging the DNA of cancer cells.
Advanced Private Treatments (often not routinely available on the NHS due to cost, experimental status, or limited long-term data):
- Tumour-Treating Fields (TTFields): This therapy uses alternating electrical fields to disrupt cancer cell division. It involves wearing a device on the scalp and is sometimes used in combination with chemotherapy.
- Immunotherapy: These treatments aim to boost the body’s immune system to fight cancer. While promising, many immunotherapies for glioblastoma are still in clinical trials or are only available privately.
- Targeted Molecular Therapies: These drugs target specific genetic mutations or pathways found in cancer cells. Due to the complex and varied nature of glioblastoma, identifying effective targets can be challenging, and many are still under investigation.
- CAR T-cell Therapy: A type of immunotherapy where a patient’s T-cells are genetically modified to recognise and attack cancer cells. This is a highly advanced and often experimental treatment for glioblastoma.
Why Are Families Turning to Private Treatment?
While the NHS provides world-class care for many conditions, access to the latest glioblastoma treatments—such as immunotherapy, tumour-treating fields, and targeted molecular therapies—is often restricted. These innovative approaches are typically available only through private clinics or clinical trials, which are not always accessible to the general public. For families desperate for more time or a better quality of life, this means looking beyond the NHS and, increasingly, turning to crowdfunding.
A Personal Story: Hope Against the Odds
Take the story of Asta Pratapaviciene and her partner, Raimondas. After Raimondas was diagnosed with glioblastoma, Asta discovered a specialised private treatment that could target his specific cancer type—something not offered by the NHS. But with a price tag of £100,000, the only way forward was to launch a GoFundMe campaign titled, “You’re My Only Hope”.
“We built our life together after overcoming so much, and now we’re facing the biggest challenge yet,” Asta shares. “The treatment Raimondas needs is simply not available to us through public healthcare, and time is not on our side.”
Their story is not unique. Across the UK, families are increasingly relying on the generosity of strangers to access potentially life-extending treatments. The “You’re My Only Hope” campaign has already received support from over 160 donors, but much more is needed to reach their goal.
What Can Be Done?
Experts and patient advocates are calling for greater investment in NHS clinical trials and faster adoption of promising new therapies. Until then, families like Asta’s are left to navigate a system where hope is available—but only to those who can pay.
How You Can Help
If you want to make a difference for families facing glioblastoma, consider supporting campaigns like Asta and Raimondas’s GoFundMe. Every donation, no matter the size, brings them closer to the care they urgently need—and helps shine a light on the need for expanded treatment options for all.
Comments are closed.