Myths are stories we tell to explain things that we don’t understand, and it’s important to be able to separate fact from fiction — especially when it comes to medical conditions. Dr. Yu-Hung Kuo, the chief of neurosurgery at Luminis Health Anne Arundel Medical Center, explains a few myths about brain tumors below.
About Brain Tumors
Brain tumors are abnormal growths of cells that can start in the brain or spread from another part of the body. They can be benign (noncancerous) or malignant (cancerous). Although the causes aren’t fully understood, and there are no known ways to prevent a brain tumor, doctors have identified specific risk factors for brain tumors, including:
- Age. Anyone can develop a brain tumor, but they are more common in children and older adults.
- Smoking tobacco. Smoking greatly increases your risk for lung cancer, which can spread to the brain.
- Radiation exposure. Radiation exposure is the only confirmed environmental risk factor for brain tumors (and other cancers like leukemia, breast cancer and lung cancer).
Myth: Artificial Sweeteners Cause Brain Tumors
Can something so sweet cause brain cancer? The evidence says it can’t. While early studies showed high amounts of cyclamate and saccharin (artificial sweeteners) caused cancer in laboratory animals, later studies showed no clear evidence of artificial sweeteners causing cancer in humans.
Myth: Brain Tumors Are Always Cancerous
About 71 percent of tumors that start in the brain are noncancerous (benign). For example, meningiomas, the most common type of primary brain tumor, are mostly benign.
Myth: Benign Primary Brain Tumors Aren’t Serious
Even though they grow slowly and don’t usually spread to surrounding tissue, benign brain tumors can be dangerous and even life-threatening. And, unfortunately, symptoms often don’t present until the tumor grows big enough to press on the nearest area of the brain.
Myth: Cell Phones Cause Brain Tumors
You can rest easy if you’re worried about your cell phone giving you a brain tumor: They give electromagnetic radiation (like radio waves and microwaves), not X-ray radiation (the kind that causes cancer).
Myth: Hair Dye Causes Brain Tumors
There’s no evidence that using hair dye causes brain tumors. But studies do show that people who are exposed to large amounts of hair dye, daily, over many years — such as hairdressers and barbers — may have an increased risk for other cancers.
There are several myths around brain tumors, but the truth is, brain tumors are very rare. According to the Central Brain Tumor Registry of the United States (CBTRUS), a person in the U.S. has a 0.62% chance of ever being diagnosed with a primary malignant brain and other CNS tumor (excluding lymphomas, leukemias, tumors of pituitary and pineal glands, and olfactory tumors of the nasal cavity).
Yu-Hung Kuo MD, PhD, is the chief of neurosurgery at Luminis Health Anne Arundel Medical Center. Dr. Kuo is experienced in the treatment of complex neurosurgical cases. He provides treatment for brain conditions, neurologic cancers and brain tumors.
