Head Injuries Could Be a Risk Factor for Developing Brain Cancer – Neuroscience News

Thanks to Bob Feeney for this

https://neurosciencenews.com/tbi-brain-cancer-22561/

Summary: Traumatic brain injuries may increase the risk of developing glioma brain cancer later in life, researchers report. The study found brain injury caused specific genetic mutations to synergize with inflammation, making brain cells more likely to become cancerous.

Source: UCL

Researchers from the UCL Cancer Institute have provided important molecular understanding of how injury may contribute to the development of a relatively rare but often aggressive form of brain tumor called a glioma.

Previous studies have suggested a possible link between head injury and increased rates of brain tumors, but the evidence is inconclusive. The UCL team have now identified a possible mechanism to explain this link, implicating genetic mutations acting in concert with brain tissue inflammation to change the behavior of cells, making them more likely to become cancerous.