Alternative Names
cancer of the brain
Symptoms & Characteristics
Some brain tumors are benign (consist of noncancerous cells). Other brain tumors are malignant, with cancer cells that grow rapidly. Some of the more common symptoms of brain cancer include:
- stomach nausea and vomiting
- coordination (balance) problems
- memory or thinking impairment
- sensory impairment (i.e. hearing, smelling or seeing)
- muscle weakness, twitching or jerking
- numbness or tingling in extremities (arms and legs)
There are different types of primary brain tumors, which are named according to the type of cells or the part of the brain in which they begin. For example, common primary brain tumors called gliomas begin in glial cells.
Treatment
Treatment may include surgery, radiation or chemotherapy and depends on the type, location and stage of brain cancer.
How Common Is It?
About 17,000 people are diagnosed with brain cancer in the United States each year.
Genetics & Inheritance
Most cases of brain cancer are not inherited and occur sporadically. Cancer is a multifactorial condition, which means it involves a combination of genetic, lifestyle and environmental factors.
- An environmental factor that has been found to contribute to brain cancer is vinyl chloride, a chemical found in many plastic products and tobacco smoke. Other environmental factors have not been identified at this time.
Researchers believe that there are probably a number of genes that cause susceptibility to brain cancer. However, only a small percentage of cases are due to a hereditary cancer syndrome or a genetic condition.
Hereditary Cancer Syndromes - A hereditary cancer syndrome is caused by an inherited gene mutation that increases the chance to develop one or more types of cancer. Families are more likely to have a hereditary cancer syndrome if there are multiple generations of affected family members with the same cancer (or associated cancers). People who are diagnosed at an unusually young age or have certain rare cancers are also more likely to have a hereditary cancer syndrome. Several different hereditary cancer syndromes have been identified. Click here for more information about Cancer Genetics.
Some of the more common hereditary cancer syndromes that are associated with brain cancer include:
In all of above hereditary cancer syndromes, the brain cancer risk is relatively low when compared to the increased risk for other types of cancer.
Genetic Conditions - People with certain genetic conditions are at increased risk to develop some types of cancer. Some of the common genetic conditions that are associated with brain cancer include:
Some researchers have proposed that genetic variations called SNPs may influence the risk to develop brain cancer (specifically glioma) in some people. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (or SNPs) are small variations in a single "letter" of DNA that can be found throughout our entire genetic make-up. Currently, much of this research still needs to replicated in order to clearly establish an association.
Other yet to be identified or adequately classified genes may also contribute to brain cancer.
A cancer genetic consultation with a trained genetic professional is important for a complete evaluation, accurate diagnosis, as well as discussion of the benefits and limitations of testing and recurrence risk.
Genetic Testing
In the absence of a known or suspected hereditary cancer syndrome/genetic condition,
cancer predisposition testing for brain cancer is unavailable.
Clinical genetic testing for some of the hereditary cancer syndromes and genetic conditions associated with bone cancer may be available through an in person cancer
genetic consultation for people who are considered at risk.
The decision to have genetic testing is a highly personal one that should always be discussed with trained medical professional. Use our
find a genetic professional directory to locate a trained genetic professional in your area.
Informational genetic testing for susceptibility to brain cancer (specifically glioma) is available online (over the internet) as part of a whole genome scan. Whole genome scanning involves analyzing thousands of SNPs at once related to a number of different health conditions.
- At this point, many genetic professionals do not consider this testing clinically useful or medically relevant, but for informational purposes only. Go to the Tests tab to link to the best providers, compare providers and read provider reviews.
Support & More Information
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