Wetenschappelijk nieuws

Amerikaanse studie vindt toename van welbepaalde hersentumoren

 

Samenvatting van de studie op PubMed. De auteurs menen dat mogelijk een omgevingsfactor aan de basis ligt van de stijging.

 

Frontal & temporal lobe gliobastoma incidence increased in the US from 1992-2006

 

Zada et al. Incidence trends in the anatomic location of primary malignant brain tumors in the United States: 1992-2006. World Neurosurg. 2012 Mar-Apr;77(3-4):518-24.

 

"CONCLUSIONS: Data from 3 major cancer registries demonstrate increased incidences of GBMs in the frontal lobe, temporal lobe, and cerebellum, despite decreased incidences in other brain regions. Although this may represent an effect of diagnostic bias, the incidence of both large and small tumors increased in these regions. The cause of these observed trends is unknown."

 

"Although these results may represent an effect of diagnostic bias or refinements in anatomical subsite coding, an environmental cause of the increases of high grade frontal and temporal lobe malignancies cannot be ruled out. Further studies are indicated to establish whether a correlation with environmental factors exists." (p. 524)

 

This 2012 study examined trends in brain cancer incidence in the U.S. from 1992 to 2006. The data was derived from three population-based cancer registries: the National Cancer Institute's SEER program which collects cancer data from nine states, the California Cancer Registry, and the Los Angeles Cancer Surveillance Program.

 

Glioma is a tumor that develops in the glial cells which support the neurons in the brain. The disease accounts for 80% of all brain cancers. Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common and most aggressive form of glioma. With state-of-the-art treatment the median survival time for a patient with GBM is 15 months but less than 5 months if untreated.

 

Although across all three cancer registries, the study reported that the average age-adjusted incidence rates for all gliomas decreased from 0.5% to 0.8% annually, glioma incidence increased in the frontal lobes 1.4% to 1.7% annually and in the temporal lobes 0.5% to 0.9% annually from 1992 to 2006.

 

The average age-adjusted incidence rates for GBM incidence increased in the frontal lobes 2.4% to 3.0% annually and in the temporal lobes1.3% to 2.3% annually.

 

The authors concluded, "Although these results may represent an effect of diagnostic bias or refinements in anatomical subsite coding, an environmental cause of the increases of high grade frontal and temporal lobe malignancies cannot be ruled out. Further studies are indicated to establish whether a correlation with environmental factors exists." (p. 524)