Hi, nasner-ga!
Brain tumors, and their causes, are a deep and fascinating subject.
There are so many types of tumors, and so much is still unknown, that
the subject gives rise to as many hypotheses as facts surrounding
their cause and treatment. However, it is usually best to stick with
what is “known”, and have a base of solid facts on which to build
further investigation, if you desire. With that in mind, let’s see
what medical research shows concerning brain tumors, and specifically,
trauma as a cause.
The first site I visited was the American Brain Tumor Association
at http://www.abta.org/ . Their website is an excellent place to
begin, because it contains extensive information written in language
for the “average person,” as opposed to mysterious medical jargon.
From their homepage, I clicked on “Information”, which brought up a
long list of links, all of which may be of interest to you. However, I
clicked on “A Primer of Brain Tumors” as a starting point in my search
for types and causes of brain tumors. The link brings up the contents
of the booklet, including Basics, Facts and Statistics, Causes, etc. I
clicked on “Causes” to see if there was any information indicating
trauma as a cause of brain tumors. Here is a condensed version of what
I found:
The primary causes of brain tumors are
1. Genetic factors – alterations of the genetic structure, caused by
heredity or environmental factors, or a combination of the two. This
is the most generally accepted cause.
2. Environmental factors – primarily physical, biological or
chemical.
Physical factors- exposure to low energy electromagnetic fields,
such as cell phones and microwaves (theoretical) or ionizing radiation
(from previous brain tumor treatment)
Biological factors – exposure to viruses (theoretical)
Chemical Agents – still under investigation (complete list is on
site)
The exact URL for the above information is
http://www.abta.org/primer/index.html
Since I found no indication on the above website that trauma causes
brain tumors, I performed a different search and found a link relating
trauma to a certain type of brain tumor called a “meningioma.” In a
fact sheet published by the National Brain Tumor Foundation, under the
heading “Do Head Injuries or Seizures Cause Brain Tumors?,” the
correlation between “serious head trauma”and brain tumors was
mentioned. However, meningiomas were the only type of tumors connected
with head trauma. Please read the entire article, “Who Gets Brain
Tumors and Why?” by Margaret Wrensch, PhD. at
http://www.braintumor.org/pservices/pdfarchive/FactSheet-WhoGetsBTsv.pdf
My next search involved “meningiomas,” since I wanted to discover
information about the particular tumor’s characteristics. The
information was encouraging, as the tumors are usually benign
(non-cancerous). Here are some excerpts with links to the articles:
“A meningioma is a tumor of the meninges which is the protective
lining of the brain and spinal cord. It can occur in any part of the
brain or spinal cord but the commonest sites are the cerebral
hemispheres of the brain. Most meningiomas are benign and malignant
meningiomas are extremely rare......Like most brain tumors the cause
of meningioma is unknown. Research is being carried out into possible
causes.” Refer to “Meningioma – The Cancer BACUP Factsheet” at
http://www.cancerbacup.org.uk/info/meningioma.htm
“The meningioma is the neurosurgeon's "friend" and often his most
enduring challenge. For both the physician and patient, this tumor
carries a true tag of benign. It also carries the possibility of
"cure" in approximately 80% of cases. Thus, the long-term outcome for
a patient with this tumor is a direct function of the skill and
assiduousness of the surgeon who removes it.....Elsewhere in the Brain
Surgery Information Center's Primer on Brain Tumor Biology, it was
mentioned that "benign" often does not really mean benign. Be assured
that in this case, the tumor really is benign.” Refer to
“Meningioma” by John Mangiardi, MD.
http://www.brain-surgery.com/mening.html
“Trauma and viruses have been investigated as possible causative
agents for development of meningiomas. However, no definitive proof
has yet been found.” Refer to “ Meningioma” by George Haddad, MD.
eMedicine Journal (1/24/2002)
http://www.emedicine.com/NEURO/topic209.htm
For a comprehensive site about meningiomas, their signs, symptoms
and treatments, please refer to the following Johns Hopkins University
websites:
“What is a meningioma?”
http://www.med.jhu.edu/radiosurgery/braintumors/meningioma/questions/
“Meningioma Radiosurgery”
http://www.med.jhu.edu/radiosurgery/braintumors/meningioma/
Since I do not know your age, or the person you might be concerned
about, I extracted the following information for you:
Within the following age groups, the most common primary brain tumors
are:
in ages 0-4, embryonal/primitive neuroectodermal
tumors/medulloblastomas
in ages 0-9, embryonal/primitive neuroectodermal
tumors/medulloblastomas
in ages 10-14, astrocytomas
in ages 15-19, pilocytic astrocytomas
in ages 20-34, pituitary tumors
in ages 35-44, meningiomas
in ages 45- 54, glioblastomas
in ages 55-64, glioblastomas
in ages 65 - 74, glioblastoma
in ages 75 - 84, meningiomas
in ages 85 and older, meningiomas
(As you can see, meningiomas are most common in certain age groups)
“Meningiomas represent 25.7% of all primary brain tumors, making
meningiomas the most common primary brain tumor.”
Refer to “Facts and Statistics” at
http://www.abta.org/primer/facts.htm
Now, I have focused on meningiomas purely because they were the only
type of brain tumors I found with a link to trauma, specifically,
serious head trauma.
This should serve as a very comprehensive beginning to your search.
If this information leads you in other directions concerning brain
tumors, I would recommend you begin searching through the American
Brain Tumor Association site already mentioned at http://www.abta.org/
If you have experienced head trauma, and worry about possible
ramifications, you might try visiting the Brain Injury Association of
America, at http://www.biausa.org/ (Incidentally, they do not mention
brain tumors as a result of head trauma.)
I hope this helps, and gives you some peace of mind.
umiat-ga
Search terms on Google
+”brain tumors” +trauma
meningioma
+”head trauma” +tumors
brain injury |
