What are the risk factors for brain cancer?
A risk factor is any factor that is associated with an increased chance of developing a particular health condition, such as brain cancer. There are different types of risk factors, some of which can be modified and some that cannot.
It should be noted that having one or more risk factors does not mean a person will develop brain cancer. Many people have at least one risk factor but will never develop brain cancer, while others with brain cancer may have had no known risk factors. Even if a person with brain cancer has a risk factor, it is usually hard to know how much that risk factor contributed to the development of their disease.
While the causes of brain cancer are not fully understood, there are a number of factors associated with the risk of developing the disease.
These factors include:
- increasing age
- a family history of brain cancer.
If you have any of these risk factors or are concerned about your risk for brain cancer, please see your doctor.
Australian Cancer Network Adult Brain Tumour Guidelines Working Party. Clinical practice guidelines for the management of adult gliomas: astrocytomas and oligodendrogliomas. Cancer Council Australia, Australian Cancer Network and Clinical Oncological Society of Australia Inc., Sydney, 2009.