Perspectives on Thalamic and Hypothalamic Tumors of Childhood

What Causes Childhood Brain Tumors? Limited Knowledge, Many Clues
Greta Bunin

Division of Oncology, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pa., USA

Address of Corresponding Author

Pediatric Neurosurgery 2000;32:321-326 (DOI: 10.1159/000028961)

  Key Words

• Brain tumors
• Epidemiology
• Risk factors
• Childhood cancer
• Cured meat

  Abstract

Little is known about the causes of brain tumors in children. Children with one of several genetic disorders including tuberous sclerosis and Li-Fraumeni syndrome are at increased risk, as are children who have received therapeutic irradiation to their head. The multifactorial causation of brain tumors, the inaccuracies of recall of past exposures, and the study of all pediatric brain tumors as a single etiologic entity may be contributing to the difficulty in identifying additional risk factors. The evidence that frequent cured meat consumption by the mother during pregnancy increases the risk is suggestive but not conclusive. For other potential risk factors, the evidence is limited and/or conflicting. These exposures and characteristics include pesticides, carcinogen metabolizing genes, and polyomaviruses.

Copyright © 2000 S. Karger AG, Basel

  Author Contacts

Greta Bunin, PhD
Division of Oncology, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
34th and Civic Center Blvd.
Philadelphia, PA 19104 (USA)
Tel. +1 215 590 1445, Fax +1 215 590 5245, E-Mail bunin@email.chop.edu

  Article Information

Received: Received: January 5, 2000
Accepted: January 6, 2000
Number of Print Pages : 6
Number of Figures : 0, Number of Tables : 2, Number of References : 44