According to a recent study, almost 700,000 people in the U.S. have been diagnosed with a brain tumor. If those numbers are correct, than that means 1 in 448 people are currently living with a malignant or benign brain tumor. While researchers have not been able to diagnose the cause of brain tumors, during studies, positive evidence has shown that certain environmental or biological factors once blamed for brain tumors are not, in fact, directly linked to their development. So what causes brain tumors? Unfortunately, right now, there is no answer for why and when certain people develop them.
What Doesn’t Cause Brain Tumors?
We hear a lot about cell phones causing brain tumors or cancer, but those claims are unfounded. According to Dr. Jill Barnholtz-Sloan, who recently spoke at the American Brain Tumor Association annual Patient and Family Conference in Chicago, brain tumors are not a result of known factors that relate to anything a patient has done or been exposed to. Commonly believed causes of brain tumors that are still unproven include:
Different Types of Brain Tumors
There are 120 different types of brain tumors, with a wide variety of sizes, symptoms, and treatment options for each. Commonly, brain tumors are broken into groups of benign (non-cancerous) and malignant (cancerous) growths.
Benign tumors are typically slow growing, relatively easy to remove, do not spread into other tissue or organs, are detectable in CT scans, and rarely develop into metastatic tumors.
Malignant brain tumors are commonly fast growing cancerous cells that spread into other areas of the brain or spine. Often malignant tumors are a result of cancer spreading from another part of the body to the brain. If the cancer originated in the brain, it is called a primary brain tumor.
Brain Tumor Treatment
Surgery is the most common form of treatment for brain tumors. Our Newport Beach neurosurgery office has had success treating all forms of brain tumors, from benign cysts to malignant glioblastoma multiformes. Our center uses advanced technology, such as gamma knife or cyber knife to map the brain and carefully remove growths with the most minimally invasive methods available. Technologies including micro surgery, cranial endoscopy, and computer assisted surgeries allow Dr. Duma to provide some of the most innovative, effective brain surgery in Newport Beach. To learn more about Dr. Duma’s office, please call us at 949-642-6787.
