What were Matt Collins's first symptoms of glioblastoma?

Matt Collins experienced a tingling sensation in his arm, which later led to a sudden loss of function.

What is glioblastoma and what is the prognosis?

Glioblastoma is the most aggressive type of brain tumor, with Matt Collins given a prognosis of 12 to 18 months.

Why are UK patients seeking treatment abroad for brain tumors?

Access to cutting-edge immunotherapies and specialist drug trials is scarce in the UK, forcing patients to fund private or overseas care.

Home / Health / Tingling Arm: A Deadly Glioblastoma Warning

Tingling Arm: A Deadly Glioblastoma Warning

8 Jan

•

Summary

A tingling arm symptom preceded a glioblastoma diagnosis in a 38-year-old man.
He faces a prognosis of 12 to 18 months with an aggressive brain tumor.
Limited treatment access in the UK prompts patients to seek costly overseas options.

Tingling Arm: A Deadly Glioblastoma Warning

A man's life was irrevocably altered when a tingling sensation in his arm signaled an aggressive brain tumor. Matt Collins, 38, experienced a sudden loss of function in his left arm, leading to his diagnosis of glioblastoma, the most aggressive form of brain cancer. Doctors delivered a grim prognosis of 12 to 18 months, a reality that profoundly impacted Collins and his family.

Following successful surgery in 2023 to remove the golf ball-sized tumor, it recurred, and subsequent chemotherapy proved ineffective. This setback underscores the severe limitations in treatment options for brain tumors in the UK, which are the leading cause of cancer death in children and individuals under 40. Many patients, like Collins, must increasingly seek expensive treatments abroad.