Dr. Grimm Discusses Primary Brain Cancer Risk Factors

Sean Grimm, MD, Assistant Professor, Neurology, Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, explains two of the primary brain cancer risk factors.

The first factor is a genetic syndrome that is associated with the occurrence of brain tumors and other cancers. In some cases this genetic disorder is hereditary.

High exposure to radiation can cause the growth of brain tumors. Patients that receive high amounts of radiation to treat childhood cancer have an increased risk of developing brain cancer later in life. Nuclear disasters such as Chernobyl in Russia and Fukushima in Japan are also associated with higher occurrences of brain cancer.