DIFFUSE INTRINSIC PONTINE GLIOMA (DIPG)

That this House recognises that diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) is the second most common type of primary, high grade brain tumour in children and affects 20 to 30 children in the UK each year; further recognises that DIPG symptoms include abnormal alignment of the eyes, weakness of facial muscles, difficulty speaking and walking, headaches and nausea; notes there is currently no effective treatment as DIPG tumours are not amenable to surgery due to their location in the brainstem; further notes that there is a severe lack of funding for the research of DIPG with a fraction of cancer research funding going towards such brain tumours; welcomes the research and work undertaken by organisations such as the Brain Tumour Charity that continues to investigate the genetic foundation of DIPG to develop new targeted drugs; and calls on the Government to increase funding committed to researching DIPG to further improve and enhance recognition and treatment of this unfortunate and deeply concerning disease.