Life

Health facts: Patient's app can teach medics about brain cancer

The app which allows users to track symptoms was launched by a woman who was herself diagnosed with glioblastoma
The app which allows users to track symptoms was launched by a woman who was herself diagnosed with glioblastoma

TRACKING symptoms of a type of brain cancer via an app could provide vital clues about the disease and lead to new treatments.

Thousands of people are diagnosed with glioblastoma (GBM) in Britain and Ireland each year. The condition is extremely difficult to treat; average survival is 14 months (only 5 per cent of patients live more than five years).

The free OurBrainBank app, launched in 2018 by Jessica Morris, who was diagnosed with the disease in 2016, allows users to track symptoms, tell doctors how patients are responding to treatment, and donate this information to researchers so they can "spot insights, accelerate learning and speed up clinical trials".

"Our mission is to move glioblastoma from being considered terminal to being considered treatable," says Jessica.

© Solo dmg media