Brain tumor among children and adolescents
Background
In the period 2008-2009, the Cancer Registry of Norway and the paediatric departments at the major hospitals in Norway conducted a scientific study on risk factors for brain tumours among children aged 7 to 19 years. The purpose was primarily to contribute to knowledge about whether the use of mobile phones among children and adolescents contributed to increasing the risk of brain tumours.
Children and adolescents with brain tumours and their parents were asked a number of questions about various environmental factors they may have been exposed to (e.g. pregnancy, birth and early adolescence). At the same time, a group of randomly selected children and adolescents in the population, who had not been diagnosed with the disease, were asked the same questions. By comparing the responses from the two groups, we can gain new knowledge about whether there are certain factors that affect the risk of children and adolescents developing brain tumours. Increased knowledge of these questions will lead to the fact that in the future it will be possible to prevent the disease.
Main results
In the study, we found no increased risk of developing brain tumours when using mobile phones, and with all the results taken as a whole, we conclude that we do not find support for the use of mobile phones causing brain tumours among children and adolescents.
This data material also gave us the opportunity to investigate whether factors other than the use of mobile phones, such as contact with animals, growing up on farms and various infections, can affect the risk of brain tumours. Furthermore, we have studied the extent to which certain genetic factors and allergies may have an impact on the risk.
Research is currently underway investigating additional genetic conditions that may affect the risk of a brain tumour, and how to choose to treat the disease once it has occurred.
Selected publications
Waszak SM, Robinson GW, Gudenas BL, Smith KS, Forget A, Kojic M, Garcia-Lopez J, Hadley J, Hamilton KV, Indersie E, Buchhalter I, Kerssemakers J, Jäger N, Sharma T, Rausch T, Kool M, Sturm D, Jones DTW, Vasilyeva A, Tatevossian RG, Neale G, Lombard B, Loew D, Nakitandwe J, Rusch M , et al. (2020)
Germline Elongator mutations in Sonic Hedgehog medulloblastoma
Nature, 580 (7803), 396-401 doi 10.1038/s41586-020-2164-5, PubMed 32296180
Adel Fahmideh M, Lavebratt C, Tettamanti G, Schüz J, Röösli M, Kjaerheim K, Grotzer MA, Johansen C, Kuehni CE, Lannering B, Schmidt LS, Darabi H, Feychting M (2019)
A Weighted Genetic Risk Score of Adult Glioma Susceptibility Loci Associated with Pediatric Brain Tumor Risk
Sci Rep, 9 (1), 18142 doi 10.1038/s41598-019-54701-1, PubMed 31792337
Waszak SM, Northcott PA, Buchhalter I, Robinson GW, Sutter C, Groebner S, Grund KB, Brugières L, Jones DTW, Pajtler KW, Morrissy AS, Kool M, Sturm D, Chavez L, Ernst A, Brabetz S, Hain M, Zichner T, Segura-Wang M, Weischenfeldt J, Rausch T, Mardin BR, Zhou X, Baciu C, Lawerenz C , et al. (2018)
Spectrum and prevalence of genetic predisposition in medulloblastoma: a retrospective genetic study and prospective validation in a clinical trial cohort
Lancet Oncol, 19 (6), 785-798 DOI 10.1016/S1470-2045(18)30242-0, PubMed 29753700
Tettamanti G, Shu X, Adel Fahmideh M, Schuz J, Roosli M, Tynes T, Grotzer M, Johansen C, Klaeboe L, Kuehni CE, Lannering B, Schmidt LS, Vienneau D, Feychting M: Prenatal and Postnatal Medical Conditions and the Risk of Brain Tumors in Children and Adolescents: An International Multicenter Case-Control Study, Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2017, 26:110-115
Fahmideh MA, Lavebratt C, Schuz J, Roosli M, Tynes T, Grotzer MA, Johansen C, Kuehni CE, Lannering B, Prochazka M, Schmidt LS, Feychting M: Common Genetic Variations in Cell Cycle and DNA Repair Pathways Associated with Pediatric Brain Tumor Susceptibility, Neuro-Oncology 2017, 19:19-20
Vienneau D, Infanger D, Feychting M, Schuz J, Schmidt LS, Poulsen AH, Tettamanti G, Klaeboe L, Kuehni CE, Tynes T, von der Weid N, Lannering B, Roosli M: A multinational case-control study on childhood brain tumours, anthropogenic factors, birth characteristics and prenatal exposures: A validation of interview data, Cancer Epidemiol 2016, 40:52-59
Adel Fahmideh M, Lavebratt C, Schuz J, Roosli M, Tynes T, Grotzer MA, Johansen C, Kuehni CE, Lannering B, Prochazka M, Schmidt LS, Feychting M: CCDC26, CDKN2BAS, RTEL1 and TERT Polymorphisms in pediatric brain tumor susceptibility, Carcinogenesis 2015, 36:876-882
Shu X, Prochazka M, Lannering B, Schuz J, Roosli M, Tynes T, Kuehni CE, Andersen TV, Infanger D, Schmidt LS, Poulsen AH, Klaeboe L, Eggen T, Feychting M: Atopic conditions and brain tumor risk in children and adolescents--an international case-control study (CEFALO), Ann Oncol 2014, 25:902-908
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