Clinical guideline

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.

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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.

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