Bryony Hill, 40-year-old mother-of-five, started to experience headaches and had a feeling that her skull was "lumpy". She first saw her GP in September 2025 and was prescribed medication for migraines. A month later, severe pain in her right ankle was thought to be tendonitis, which was linked to an old ankle injury from rock climbing 18 years earlier. By April 2026, however, Bryony noticed tingling in her right foot that kept getting worse and gradually spread up the right side of her body. Hill said, "I randomly had a really bad pain on my ankle and I couldn't walk on it so I went to the doctors about it in A&E. They just thought it was tendonitis and they were like 'oh well have some crutches, take some medicine but we can't really see any problems.'

"It was April this year I got a tingling in my foot. It just started to feel tingly and I had already given it four weeks [since the A&E visit] before coming into the doctors.

"The tingling was just getting worse and I mentioned [to doctors] that I'd got a previous fracture, I'd been treated for tendonitis. The doctor decided to book me in for an MRI."

However, before the scan, she suffered a seizure at home on May 21 and was rushed to hospital. An emergency MRI revealed a brain tumour. A biopsy later confirmed that she had grade 4 glioblastoma, an aggressive and difficult-to-treat form of brain cancer.

What Is Glioblastoma?

Glioblastoma, also called glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), is a fast-growing cancer that starts in the glial cell in your brain and spinal cord. It is the most common malignant primary brain tumour in adults and is considered a grade 4 tumour, which means it is highly aggressive. Glial cells are important to help in the functioning of nerve cells.

What Are The Symptoms Of Glioblastoma?

Symptoms can vary considerably depending on where a glioblastoma develops and which areas of the brain it affects. Some symptoms can also look like those caused by more common conditions. Possible symptoms include:

  • Persistent or worsening headaches: Headaches may become more frequent or severe, particularly when they are different from a person's usual headaches.
  • Seizures: A seizure can sometimes be the first noticeable sign of a brain tumour in someone who has never had one before.
  • Weakness or numbness: A tumour affecting areas involved in movement or sensation can cause weakness, numbness or pins and needles, sometimes mainly on one side of the body.
  • Problems with balance or walking: A person may become unsteady or have difficulty coordinating movements.
  • Changes in vision or speech: Depending on its location, a tumour can affect eyesight, speech or understanding.
  • Memory and personality changes: Some people may experience confusion, difficulty concentrating, memory problems or changes in behaviour.
  • Nausea and vomiting: These may happen along with other symptoms, particularly when pressure inside the skull increases.

What Causes Glioblastoma?

In most cases, there is no clear cause of glioblastoma. It develops when cells undergo changes in their DNA that make them grow and divide abnormally. These genetic changes are generally acquired during a person's lifetime rather than inherited from their parents. Scientists are still studying why some brain cells undergo these changes and develop into glioblastoma.

What Are The Risk Factors?

Glioblastoma can affect people without any obvious risk factors. However, some factors have been associated with a higher likelihood of developing certain brain tumours.

Age is one factor. Glioblastoma is more common in older adults, although it can occur in younger people too.

Prior exposure to high-dose ionising radiation, particularly radiation directed at the head, is another recognised risk factor. This is different from the low-level radiation associated with everyday devices.

Certain rare inherited genetic conditions can also increase the risk of developing brain tumours. These include conditions such as neurofibromatosis and Li-Fraumeni syndrome. However, these account for only a small proportion of cases.

For most people diagnosed with glioblastoma, doctors cannot identify a specific reason why the tumour developed.

What Are The Complications Of Glioblastoma?

Since glioblastoma can invade healthy brain tissue and grow rapidly, it can affect important functions controlled by the brain. Complications may include recurrent seizures, increasing weakness or paralysis, problems with speech or understanding, changes in memory and behaviour, difficulty walking and loss of independence.

As the tumour grows, swelling around it can also increase pressure inside the skull. This can worsen headaches, nausea, vomiting, confusion and other neurological symptoms.

Treatment usually involves a combination of approaches, depending on the tumour's location, the person's overall health and other factors. Surgery may be performed when it is safe and feasible, followed by treatments such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for a qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.