Brain tumour, benign (non-cancerous)
Causes
The cause ofmost benign brain tumours is unknown, although a small number of caseshave been linked to certain genesor previous cancer treatment .
Who's most at risk?
Some of the things that can increase your risk of benign brain tumours are outlined below.
Age
Brain tumours affect people of all ages, including children, but the risk tends to increase as you get older. Most tumours affect people over 50 years of age.
Family history
People with a family history of brain tumours may be at a slightly increased risk of developinga brain tumour themselves.
Radiotherapy
If your brain is exposed to radiation during Radiotherapy , your risk of developingcertain types of benignbrain tumour later on is increased.
Genetic conditions
Some genetic conditions can increase your risk of a benign brain tumour, such as:
- neurofibromatosis type 1 or neurofibromatosis type 2
- tuberous sclerosis
- Turcot syndrome
- Li-Fraumeni cancer syndrome
- von Hippel-Lindau syndrome
- Gorlin syndrome
Unlike most benign brain tumours, tumours associated with these conditions tend to developin childhood or early adulthood.
Can mobile phones cause brain tumours?
There have beenreports in the media about a possible connection between brain tumours and the radiofrequency (RF) energy emitted by mobile phones. RF energy produces heat, which can increase body temperature and damage tissue exposed to it.
However, it's thought that the amount of RF energy people are exposed to from mobile phones is too low to produce significant tissue heating or an increase in body temperature.
Research is underway to establish whether RF energy has any long-term health effects, but the balance of evidence currently available suggests it's unlikely that mobile phones cause health problems.
Read about mobile phone safety for more information.
Medically Reviewed by a doctor on 15 Apr 2015
Introduction
A benign (non-cancerous) brain tumour is a mass of cells that grows slowly in the brain. It usually stays in one place and does not spread.
Symptoms
The symptoms of a benign or low-grade brain tumour depend on its size and where it is in the brain. Some slow-growing tumours may not cause any symptoms at first.
Causes
The cause of most benign brain tumours is unknown, although a small number of cases have been linked to certain genes or previous cancer treatment.
Diagnosis
See your GP if you develop any of the symptoms of a benign brain tumour, such as a persistent and severe headache.
Treatment
Most benign tumours are removed with surgery and do not normally come back.
Recover and care after brain tumor
After being treated for a brain tumour, you may need additional care to monitor and treat any further problems.
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