Raising Awareness and Hope During Brain Cancer Awareness Month

Each May, Brain Cancer Awareness Month offers a crucial opportunity to spotlight both primary and metastatic brain cancers. These conditions are increasingly common yet more manageable thanks to medical advancements. Manmeet Ahluwalia, MD, MBA, FASCO, chief scientific officer and deputy director at Baptist Health Miami Cancer Institute, shares a message for the oncology community and the public alike.

“As a brain cancer physician and a physician investigator, I could not be more excited about May being Brain Cancer Awareness Month,” says Ahluwalia in an interview with Targeted OncologyTM.

Ahluwalia emphasizes that while the incidence of both types is rising, there is reason for optimism. Early detection is becoming more achievable due to improvements in screening technologies, and treatment options continue to evolve.

“We have become better in our detections, we have better treatments for our patients, and we can do more for them, not only in increasing the amount of time they live, so the quantity of life, but also their quality of life.”

The month also serves as a reminder of the scientific strides made in brain cancer research—and the path that lies ahead.

“I could not be more hopeful about the quality of research that is happening in brain cancer. Brain cancer [and this month] is important because it continues to emphasize the journey we have had so far, the journey that we are on today, but more important the journey for tomorrow, which brings us to an important aspect of research, which is to continue to advocate for increased research funding, because research funding is so critical to advancing treatments and cures for our patients,” he adds.

That future hinges on sustained and increased investment in research and according to Ahluwalia, continued advocacy for research funding is essential.

As Brain Cancer Awareness Month continues, the message is clear: progress is being made, but there’s more work to do.