Welcome to our organisation
Brain Tumour Alliance Australia (BTAA) is the only national brain tumour patient and caregiver organisation in Australia.
It was established in late 2008 by a group of brain tumour patients and current and former caregivers.
While welcoming the advice and input of specialists, BTAA seeks to represent the brain tumour community from the viewpoint of the patient, family and caregiver.
FREE HANDBOOK ... FREE HANDBOOK ... FREE HANDBOOK
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A free copy of the 84-page
US-produced "Primer of
Brain Tumors" (10th edition - 2012), with a special insert
linking various sections to Australian conditions, is available from
BTAA. Please click here to go to a request form or phone the FREECALL number: 1800 857 221 Note: Only one copy is available per Australian-resident brain tumour patient or family. |
| Are you looking for information about international or Australian brain tumour support groups? If so, then click here. |
Information: This a direct link to the Virtual Trials website, which is regarded as having the largest amount of on-line current information of interest to the newly diagnosed brain tumour patient and their caregiver. Questions: These are a series of useful downloadable questions from the Primer (see above) for you to ask your treating specialist about your brain tumour and about epilepsy medication, should you be prescribed it. |
| Important: Are you an Australian brain tumour patient who is about to undergo an operation for a suspected primary malignant Grade III or Grade IV (glioblastoma) tumour? If so, you should read this FAQ about Gliolan. |
Donate to
Brain
Tumour Alliance Australia Inc (either use PayPal or make a direct
transfer to our Bank account - details below):
Account
name: Brain Tumour Alliance Australia.
Commonwealth Bank. BSB:
06 2900. Account Number: 10603153. When making a transfer please also
send an email to secretary@btaa.org.au
notifying us of the transfer and your name and address. Sometimes the
Bank information can be rather obscure.
BTAA has been endorsed by the Australian Taxation Office as a Deductible Gift Recipient. ABN 97 733 801 179. Click here to download the relevant paperwork from the ATO.
Social
Media Update
We are now available on the following social network sites, allowing you to interact with us daily!
· Twitter (BrainTumourAA);
· Linkedin (btaa.org.au) AND as a Company if you also search us under ‘companies’;
· Facebook (Brain Tumour Alliance Australia).
Please add, like or follow us to raise our profile and keep informed of our latest developments and updates!
BTAA's Melbourne Forum was attended by nearly 100 participants on Sunday 3 March, 2013. BTAA would like to thank Austin Health and the Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Centre for their support in organising the Forum. The Forum was also supported by educational sponsorship from Roche. Senator Scott Ryan, co-convenor of the Federal Parliamentary Brain Tumour Awareness Group opened the Forum. Dr Warren P Mason from Canada was the keynote speaker. Some photos of the day are provided below and on BTAA's Facebook page. Special thanks to Di Legge and her team for their assistance. Di organised the small group sharing sessions held ahead of the information sessions and panel.
![]() Senator
Scott Ryan (L) Mr Matt Pitt (R)
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![]() Professor Jonathan Cebon,
Director, Austin-Ludwig Oncology Unit, who spoke at the opening.
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![]() Di Legge (L), MaryAnne Rosier, Denis Strangman (R) |
![]() Susan Pitt (L), Louise Young (R)
from Brain Tumour Western Australia.
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Susan Pitt (R) moderates the final panel session. (L-R) Matt Pitt, Sally White, Dr Gloria Smith-Tappe, Dr Warren P Mason, Dr Lawrence Cher, Di Legge.
BTAA held a very successful patient and carer Forum in Brisbane on Saturday 11 August 2012, attended by approximately 60 people. The main speaker was world leading neuro-oncology specialist Professor Susan M Chang from San Francisco. A feature of the Forum was the separate facilitated small group discussions for patients and carers. Dr Chang was visiting Brisbane for the COGNO and MOGA Annual Scientific Meetings. The Cancer Council Queensland was very suppoprtive for the Forum and the meeting was held in its auditorium. Roche assisted by way of an educational grant. Here are some photos.
![]() Dr Susan M Chang addresses the Brisbane Forum |
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![]() Renee Hindson (Canberra) tells her story. |
Latest news
25 May 2013: Breakfast meeting, Qld Brain Institute. "Discovering the Cause of and Treatments for Brain Cancer", 5 June 2013. Enquiries Jenny Valentine (07) 33466413. RSVP 29 May. Flyer available here.10 May 2013: Brain Tumour Alliance Australia will benefit from the collection at the Music at Midday shows at 11 a.m. and 12.30 p.m. at Canberra Theatre on Tuesday 4 June. Music by the band of the Royal Military College, Duntroon. Click here for a PDF of a flyer which you can use to promote this event. Phone the BTAA Freecall number (1800 857 221) for further information.
30 April 2013: This is the link to the live webcast from the Sydney Seminar for the Brain Tumour Cancer Action Week on Wednesday 1 May.
11 April 2013: Click here for a link to the presentation by brain tumour survivor Sally White at the BTAA Forum for patients and families held at The Austin Hospital (Melbourne) on 3 March 2013.
8 March 2013: An updated version of "Brain Tumour Facts" is available for download as a Word document here and as a PDF file here.
8 February 2013: Latest BTAA Newsletter is available for download (1.4 Mb) here.
29 January 2013: Gliolan FAQ updated.
31 October 2012: Access Matt Pitt's national media release for International Brain Tumour Awareness Week here. Various Members and Senators also wore grey ribbons provided by BTAA. Ms Deb O'Neill MHR made a short speech and mentioned that her brother passed away from a brain tumour earlier this year. Senator Bilyk also moved a Motion in the Senate referring to the Week and on 29 October Qld MHR Peter Dutton outlined the story of a constituent who has a brain tumour.
23 October 2012: Click here to download a PDF version of the October BTAA Newsletter (1.6 Mb).

Our community service 30 sec TV advertisement for the Hat Project has also been placed on You Tube.

23 September 2012: The AGM of BTAA was held on 23 September. The new Committee is - Matt Pitt (Chair), Kelly Webster (Vice Chair), Susan Pitt (Secretary), Jo England (Treasurer) and ordinary committee members - Mark Dalliston, MaryAnne Rosier, Catherine Hindson and Denis Strangman. Here is a photo of the group without Kelly Webster.

27 August 2012: This is a link to the audio presentations and three sets of Power Point slides from presenters at the BTAA Brain Tumour Forum held in Brisbane on 11 August 2012. Thanks to the Cancer Council Queensland for hosting this material on its website.
July 2012: This is a link to the Winter BTAA printed newsletter.
14 May 2012: These are links to the You Tube video and PDF versions of the Power Point slides and/or texts used by the presenters at the Sydney Brain Tumour Forum. A DVD version is available on request from BTAA.
Professor Martin van den Bent (the Netherlands) - slides. Video presentation (in three parts - A, B, C) "Promising New Treatments for Brain Tumours".
MaryAnne Rosier - slides "The challenges of coping with a brain tumour in the family" - Text. Video.
Alanah Bailey (Prince of Wales Hospital) - slides "Supportive Care". Video.
Matt Pitt (Chair, Brain Tumour Alliance Australia) - slides "Experiences as a brain tumour survivor". VIdeo.
13 March 2012: This is a link to a special edition of the BTAA Newsletter distributed at the Sydney brain tumour patients' and carers' Forum, co-sponsored by SNOG and BTAA, and held on 8 March. (N.B. it is 1.6 Mb.)
The December 2011 BTAA E News is available here.
12 November 2011: BTAA has
uploaded a new resource
entitled "Fitness to drive for brain tumour patients - a personal
experience". Please advise us of other subjects you would like to see
covered by BTAA.
10 May 2011: BTAA has
researched and uploaded an updated version of a one-page "Facts
About Brain Tumours" document, which can be downlopaded as a Word
document from here
and as a PDF file from here.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Links to
PBAC decision not to approve Avastin for recurrent glioma.
GLIOLAN alert:. BTAA
Secretary Denis Strangman was interviewed on ABC
Radio about Gliolan - the new therapy to guide neurosurgeons
towards a greater resection of a brain tumour.
Fact
Sheet about depression and brain tumours launched.
The national anti-depression group Beyond
Blue and Brain Tumour Alliance Australia have co-released a Fact Sheet
on the above subject. Go to: http://www.beyondblue.org.au/
index.aspx?link_id=7.980&tmp=
FileDownload&fid=1875







