Earlier Brain Tumour Diagnosis: Red Flags Every GP Should Know

This is the final episode of Brain Tumour Awareness Month 2026.After 30 days of real people sharing their lived experience of brain tumours, this final conversation asks an urgent question:How do we diagnose brain tumours earlier?In this special closing episode, Claire speaks with Dr Victoria McBride, a GP who has become a passionate advocate for brain tumour awareness after her own family’s experience.In 2021, Dr McBride’s nephew Scott was diagnosed with a glioblastoma after repeatedly attending his GP with symptoms that were not recognised as warning signs. By the time he was admitted to hospital, he was critically unwell.This conversation explores:• Why brain tumour symptoms are so often missed• The danger of repeated reassurance without proper follow-up• How “headache plus” symptoms can be a warning sign• Why evolving neurological symptoms must not be ignored• The importance of pattern recognition in primary care• The barriers GPs face, including time pressure and lack of continuity• Why earlier diagnosis may not always change prognosis — but can change outcomes• How earlier detection can reduce disability, trauma and crisis admissions• The new toolkit is being developed with The Brain Tumour Charity and the Royal College of GPs to support earlier diagnosisThis episode is deeply personal, but it is also practical, hopeful and forward-looking.It brings together everything this month has shown us:the missed signs, the delayed diagnoses, the lives changed forever — and the urgent need for better awareness.After 31 stories, one truth is clear:People know when something is wrong.Patients need to be heard.And earlier diagnosis matters.Thank you for listening, sharing, and helping amplify these stories throughout Brain Tumour Awareness Month 2026.⚠️ Content note: This episode discusses delayed diagnosis, glioblastoma, medical trauma, and the impact of missed brain tumour symptoms.