There are few confirmed risk factors for brain and nervous system cancers. High levels of ionizing radiation are known to increase a person's chance of developing astrocytomas. Children with ringworm of the scalp were once treated by powerful head X-rays; these children grew up to have an increased likelihood of developing brain cancer.
A handful of rare genetic syndromes increase a person's risk of brain and nervous system cancers. They include Li-Fraumeni syndrome, von Hippel-Lindau disease, tuberous sclerosis and neurofibromatosis. Neurofibromatosis is also called von Recklinghausen's disease. In one form, several usually benign tumors appear throughout the body during childhood. In the more rare form, tumors grow on the cranial nerves.
Some studies have linked cancer of the brain and nervous system to exposure to electromagnetic fields, such as energy from household appliances or power lines. To date, the evidence for this link has been inconclusive.
People in certain occupations appear to have a higher-than-normal risk of brain and nervous system cancer, including chemists; pathologists; workers in synthetic rubber, polyvinyl chloride, pharmaceutical and electrical equipment manufacturing; and oil refinery workers. Since people in these industries face exposure to many different chemicals, as well as to electromagnetic fields, it has been difficult to link increased cancer risk to a single factor. Animal studies have, however, shown a link between several chemicals and cancer, including N-nitroso compounds and vinyl chloride.
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