When Stu was diagnosed, one of the things I found most confusing was understanding who did what. Suddenly there were neurosurgeons, oncologists, radiologists and other specialists involved, while at the same time I was trying to work out whether there were other doctors we should be speaking to.
At first, I think I was looking for THE brain tumour expert. What we eventually learnt was that there wasn't one person who could answer every question we had. What became much more important was finding the right expertise for the question in front of us and, over time, building a team around Stu.

YOUR BRAIN TUMOUR TEAM

Brain tumour care is multidisciplinary. Your case will usually be discussed by an MDT, or multidisciplinary team, which brings together specialists involved in different aspects of diagnosis, treatment and care. A specialist brain tumour MDT can include neurosurgeons, clinical oncologists, neuroradiologists, neuropathologists, specialist nurses and other healthcare professionals. 

Different people become particularly important at different stages. A neurosurgeon deals with the surgical aspects of brain tumour care, including biopsy and tumour resection. A clinical oncologist specialising in brain and central nervous system tumours may oversee treatments such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy. A neuroradiologist specialises in interpreting imaging of the brain and nervous system, while a neuropathologist examines tumour tissue and helps establish exactly what type of tumour it is.

Then there are specialists involved in areas such as molecular diagnostics, genetics, clinical trials, rehabilitation, symptom management and supportive care. We didn't understand any of this when Stu was diagnosed. We learnt who we needed as we went along.

FINDING THE RIGHT EXPERTISE

One of the biggest things I would do differently now is stop looking for the name everyone else seemed to be talking about and start by asking: What expertise do we need for the decision in front of us?

If the question is whether a tumour can be operated on, you need relevant neurosurgical expertise. If you're making decisions about radiotherapy or chemotherapy, you need someone with expertise in neuro-oncology. If you've received detailed molecular results, you may need someone who understands what those findings mean and whether any of them are relevant to treatment options or clinical trials. Sometimes the right person will be the doctor already looking after you. Sometimes another specialist may have particular expertise that is useful for the question you're trying to answer. It isn't about collecting famous names. It's about finding the right expertise.

BUILDING OUR TEAM

Over time, we stopped looking for one doctor who might have all the answers and started building a team around Stu.

Dr Matt Williams became Stu's NHS oncologist after we initially consulted him privately.

We had Stu's tumour analysed through CeGaT in Germany and worked with specialists there around the molecular information it produced. We also worked with Dr Michael Castro in the US on precision oncology, after Matt referred Stu's case to him.

For surgical questions, we sought separate neurosurgical opinions, including from Professor Andrew McEvoy in London.

The important thing was that these weren't just disconnected people giving us competing opinions. Some of the people we brought into Stu's team had worked together before, and they were willing to communicate and work together again. Information could be shared and different expertise could be brought to the same problem. We built that team bit by bit, usually because the next question we faced required someone different. Looking back, that was one of the most valuable things we did.

DOCTORS WE WORKED WITH

The people below are not intended to be a list of the UK's “best” brain tumour doctors, or a recommendation that everyone with glioblastoma should see the same people Stu did. They are people who formed part of Stu's team or our decision-making, and we've kept them here because our experience with them may give you somewhere to start.

DR MATT WILLIAMS

We initially consulted Dr Matt privately and then transferred Stu's NHS oncology care to his team at Imperial. The logistics of moving between private and NHS care weren't always straightforward, but meeting Dr Matt was a turning point for us. We felt able to discuss different possibilities with him and, importantly, he was willing to work with other specialists involved in Stu's care. Dr Matt later referred Stu's case to Dr Michael Castro in the US and Alacris. As of 2026, Dr Matthew Williams is a consultant clinical oncologist at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust with expertise in brain and central nervous system tumours.

PROFESSOR ANDREW McEVOY

We consulted Professor Andrew McEvoy privately when we were seeking another neurosurgical opinion. By then we had learnt a lesson I wish we'd known at diagnosis: a decision about whether surgery is possible can be important enough to warrant another experienced pair of eyes. As of 2026, Professor McEvoy is a consultant neurosurgeon at UCLH's National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery and clinical lead for neuro-oncology and epilepsy surgery. For more about why and how we sought other opinions, see Second Opinions.

CeGaT

CeGaT wasn't another oncologist, though they do have a team of dedicated oncologists working for them. It was part of a different piece of the puzzle. We sent Stu's tumour tissue to CeGaT in Germany for detailed molecular analysis. The information that came back helped us understand much more about the biology of his individual tumour and gave the other specialists we were working with additional information to consider. We'll explain the testing itself properly on the dedicated CeGaT page.

DR MICHAEL CASTRO

Dr Matt referred Stu's case to Dr Michael Castro in the US. We sent Dr Castro Stu's medical records and MRI scans, together with his CeGaT and Alacris reports and the information we'd collected about the supplements and repurposed medicines Stu was taking. His role was different again. We were looking at Stu's cancer through the lens of molecular and precision oncology and trying to understand whether information about the individual tumour could help identify additional possibilities. There is more about our experience on the dedicated Dr Castro page.

FINDING SPECIALIST CENTRES

If you have just been diagnosed and have absolutely no idea where to start, the Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission is now a useful resource. There are currently 14 adult Tessa Jowell Centres of Excellence across the UK. They have been assessed across many areas of brain tumour treatment and care, including surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, imaging, pathology, genomics, clinical trials, rehabilitation and psychological support.

That does not mean everyone should immediately try to transfer to a Centre of Excellence. A Centre of Excellence designation isn't a ranking of individual doctors, and not having the designation does not mean a hospital cannot provide good specialist brain tumour care. But if you're trying to understand where specialist neuro-oncology expertise exists, it gives you a much better starting point than frantic Googling.

HINDSIGHT

WHAT WE KNOW NOW THAT WE WISH WE'D KNOWN THEN

I wouldn't start by searching for the most famous doctor, the person everyone talks about in a Facebook group or even necessarily the person with the longest list of qualifications. I would start with the question we needed answered. What expertise do we need right now? And then I would think beyond finding one doctor.

Eventually we had people around Stu with expertise in neuro-oncology, neurosurgery, molecular diagnostics and precision oncology. We built that team bit by bit and, importantly, they could work together. I wish we'd understood much earlier that you don't necessarily need one person with all the answers. You need the right people around the same table.

CURRENT INFORMATION · 2026

TESSA JOWELL BRAIN CANCER MISSION
The Centre of Excellence programme can help you understand the UK's specialist neuro-oncology landscape. There are currently 14 adult Centres of Excellence and a wider Tessa Jowell Network.

UCLH BRAIN TUMOUR SERVICE
UCLH's information about its brain tumour multidisciplinary team is a useful example of the different specialists who can be involved in brain tumour care.

SECOND OPINIONS
If you're considering asking another neurosurgeon, oncologist or specialist to review your case, read our Second Opinions page.

This site shares our lived experience and the information we wish we'd known. It is not medical advice and should not replace advice from your own medical team.

doctors