What Is Brain Tumour Awareness Month And What Is Scheduled?

The month of March is an important time of the year for radiosurgery centres, as it coincides with Brain Tumour Awareness Month.

Initially launched by a collective of research organisations, nonprofits and charities that would eventually launch Brain Tumour Research, Brain Tumour Awareness Month runs throughout the month of March in the United Kingdom, with other countries observing it in May instead.

It is an important part of the calendar for the same reason as other similar awareness months are; it makes people look for potential unusual signs and symptoms that could be caused by brain tumours.

Here are some of the main events, goals and common aspects of Brain Tumour Awareness Month, as well as what you can do to show support.

Shine A Light

The start of Brain Tumour Awareness Month begins with Shine A Light, an event where people light a candle to remember people who lost their lives or are currently undergoing treatment for brain cancer, and it serves as a poignant marker for the work that has been done and needs to be done.

Alongside researchers, people affected by brain tumours and their loved ones, celebrities have helped to raise awareness.

These have included Nile Rogers, one of the most influential guitarists of all time, famous for songs such as Let’s Dance by David Bowie and Get Lucky by Daft Punk, who was diagnosed and treated for a brain tumour in 2018.

As well as this, Alfie Boe, Suzi Quatro, McFly, KT Tunstall and Sharleen Spiteri of the band Texas all were part of the Shine A Light campaign.

This helps to raise awareness and provides a light of hope that people who have been diagnosed with brain tumours can find a treatment that will ensure that they are cancer-free and remain so.

Moment Of Silence

On the first Monday of the month, at 11 'o'clock in the morning, a moment’s silence is observed to remember those affected by brain cancer and brain tumours.

Clinics, researchers, charities and celebrities mark this occasion in a personal and meaningful way, which drives them to provide the best care they can to treat and cure brain tumours, brain cancers and other related conditions.

Charity Fundraisers

Fundraisers are a critical part of Brain Tumour Awareness Month, as they are for many similar charity drives, and throughout the month of March, people will be testing themselves in a wide variety of ways to raise money for charity.

Whether it involves charity live streaming, a fun run, baking events, beetle drives or everything else in between, fundraising contributes to providing all of the vital services that are needed to help cure brain tumours.

Whilst a big part of that is facilitating treatments and funding research efforts into new forms oftreatments, it also helps to provide vital services that assist people with brain tumours after diagnosis, during treatment and following recovery.

These include support groups, practical help, counselling, therapy and all of the aspects of treatment that span beyond the clinic.

Pink And Yellow Buildings

One of the most visible drives for Brain Tumour Awareness Month is lighting buildings in the pink and yellow colours symbolic of Brain Tumour Awareness, providing a message of hope and awareness for people impacted by a diagnosis of a brain tumour.

Many major landmarks have been lit up in pink and yellow, most notably Blackpool Tower but also Leeds Civic Hall, Cardiff Castle, Cornwall’s St Michael’s Mount and Lytham Windmill.

All of these buildings lighting up the night have a story behind them, and help to raise awareness of the hope provided by brain tumour treatment, inspiring people to seek treatment and support research causes that can help to ensure that everyone can be treated.

Grey Ribbons

Whilst pink and yellow are huge colours of hope when it comes to brain tumours, in the United States the main colour for Brain Tumour Awareness Month is grey.

Part of the reason for this is that some countries observe Brain Tumour Awareness Month in May rather than March, which leads to the rhyme of “Grey May”.

The choice of grey as a colour to symbolise brain tumours is because it is a symbol of resilience against adversity and uncertainty.

In the United States, many campaigns will involve black-and-white photography to show solidarity and allow personal stories to resonate.

Wear A Hat Day

The biggest event of Brain Tumour Awareness Month is Wear A Hat Day on the last Friday of the month (Friday 28th March 2025).

It first launched in 2010 and in the 15 years since then, it has raised millions to support research and treatments for brain tumours.

The Role Of Radiotherapy In Brain Tumour Treatment

Radiotherapy has a crucial role to play in the treatment of different brain tumours, with high-energy radiation used to target and destroy cancerous cells. It is also often used after surgery to eliminate any remaining cancerous cells, to shrink the tumour size and to manage associated symptoms.

Gamma Knife radiosurgery specifically is a noninvasive treatment method that enables doctors to preserve most of the patient’s healthy brain tissue. This makes it a safer alternative to open brain surgery.

Compared to large field radiation, with Gamma Knife surgery you won’t lose all your hair or see loss of cognitive abilities, both of which you can see with radiation to the entire head.

This treatment is also more efficient than other options, with imaging and treatment taking place on the same day. This ensures that the treatment plan is up to date, as well as minimising any treatment delays to the body.

Explore the Queen Square website to learn more about our advanced radiotherapy and neurosurgical treatments for brain tumours.