Brain tumour is an overgrowth of cells, either within the brain or near it in places like nerves, the pituitary gland, and the meninges Brain tumours can be benign (non-cancerous growth or lumps that generally do not spread to other organs/tissues) or malignant (made up of cancerous cells that multiply and spread to neighbouring tissues and organs and sometimes break away and spread to many organs in the body, a process called metastasis).
The prevalence of brain tumours is variable around the world and in India. Approximately 2% of all cancers are brain cancers. The incidence rate globally is approximately 6.2 per 100,000 people per year.
While brain tumours account for a relatively small percentage of overall cancer cases in India, they are a significant cause of mortality, with over 24,000 deaths reported each year.
Causes of Brain Tumour:
For most brain tumours, the cause is not known.
Genetics are associated with less than 5% of brain tumours, these are rare conditions passed down in families, where certain genes are mutated from birth, significantly increasing the risk of developing brain and other types of tumours. Some inherited conditions are known to increase the risk of developing tumours which are:
- Neurofibromatosis- Causes tumours on nerves throughout the body, including the brain and spinal cord.
- Von Hippel-Lindau disease- A condition where there is formation of tumours and cysts in many organs. Associated brain tumour commonly seen are hemangioblastomas (blood vessel tumours in the brain/spinal cord).
- Li-Fraumeni syndrome- Increases risk of many cancers including brain tumours like gliomas and medulloblastomas.
- Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP)- Mainly known for causing colon polyps and cancer but a subtype called Turcot syndrome (a variant of FAP) can cause medulloblastomas or glioblastomas.
- Lynch syndrome- Mostly linked to colon and endometrial cancer but some forms, like Turcot syndrome, also raise the risk for brain tumour.
- Basal cell nevus syndrome (Gorlin syndrome)- Associated with medulloblastomas (especially in children), along with skin cancer and jaw cysts.
- Tuberous sclerosis- Associated with benign tumours in multiple organs, including the brain which includes subependymal giant cell astrocytomas (SEGAs) and cortical tubers.
- Cowden syndrome- Associated with increased risk of Lhermitte-Duclos disease (a rare, slow-growing brain tumour), among other kinds of tumours.
Risk factors:
- Age: Brain tumours are commonly seen in older adults. Although some brain tumours are specific to children.
- Race: Some brain tumours are known to be found more in certain races, for example, gliomas are seen in white races while Meningiomas are more common in the black races.
- Exposure to ionizing radiation: Exposure to a strong type of radiation increases the risk as it may cause changes in the DNA in the body's cells.
- Inherited syndromes that increase the risk of brain tumour: Some genetic conditions as mentioned above increase the risk of brain tumours.
- Lifestyle Factors: Some research suggests that lifestyle factors like diet, smoking, and alcohol consumption could potentially play a role in brain tumour development, but more research is needed to establish firm connections.
Changed
08/Jun/2026
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