Clinical guidelines
Brain tumour symptomatology can be non-specific and can mimic other common childhood illnesses.
The NICE-accredited Diagnosis of Brain Tumours in Children guideline was initially written following evidence that many children in the UK were experiencing a prolonged total diagnostic interval (time from symptom onset to diagnosis; TDI). Improved guidance for healthcare professionals has had an impact on this timeframe, enabling earlier diagnosis – TDI has decreased from over 13 weeks when the original guideline was written to 6.5.
Clinical guideline V2 (revision of V1, published 2017)
This NICE-accredited guideline has the support of the RCPCH following a rigorous assessment of the guideline development methodology and a full endorsement is expected upon completion of a full stakeholder consultation.
Clinical guideline V1 (published 2008)
This is the original NICE-accredited Diagnosis of Brain Tumours in Children guideline on which the HeadSmart campaign is based.