TY - JOUR T1 - Early symptoms of brain tumours JF - Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry JO - J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry SP - 1205 LP - 1206 DO - 10.1136/jnnp.2003.033308 VL - 75 IS - 8 AU - E Davies AU - C Clarke Y1 - 2004/08/01 UR - http://jnnp.bmj.com/content/75/8/1205.abstract N2 - Malignant cerebral glioma is the most common adult primary brain tumour but surprisingly few studies report how patients with early symptoms present in primary or secondary care. A retrospective audit in south east Scotland found considerable variation in the referral of patients with primary brain tumours: only one quarter of 439 patients were initially referred directly to specialist centres.1 This must relate in part to the way in which symptoms develop and the difficulty of distinguishing them from more common but less sinister problems. For example, a large case record review of initial symptoms experienced by 653 glioma patients presenting to the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Queen Square, London, between 1955 and 1975 found a relatively low prevalence of neurological problems such as epilepsy (38%), headache (35%), mental change (17%), and hemiparesis (10%); by the time of diagnosis the prevalences were 54%, 71%, 52%, and 43%, respectively.2 Few studies focus on the accounts of patients and relatives. One qualitative interview study of 28 Swedish patients suggested that relatives noticed general changes including cognitive … ER -