Head Injuries May Raise Brain Cancer Risk: Major Studies Reveal

The main study tracked health records of more than 75,000 participants between 2000 and 2024. Researchers found that 0.6% of those with moderate to severe traumatic brain injuries developed malignant brain tumors within three to five years post-injury—a rate significantly higher than in individuals with no history of traumatic brain injuries. Mild injuries, however, showed no increased cancer risk. A separate 2024 study involving nearly two million U.S. veterans found that moderate/severe traumatic brain injuries nearly doubled the risk of brain cancer, while penetrating traumatic brain injuries more than tripled it.

Supporting data came from Afghanistan, where a case-control study found a 2.6-fold increased risk of brain tumors in people with past head trauma. In Brazil, researchers observed a 1.49-fold rise, which increased with repeated injuries. A global study further linked male meningioma cases to head injuries occurring 15 to 24 years earlier, showing a 5.4-fold increase in risk.

On a cellular level, scientists at University College London (UCL) found that head injuries in mice, when combined with the loss of the tumor-suppressor gene p53, caused brain support cells (astrocytes) to become stem-like and potentially cancerous.

Though the absolute risk remains low, the consistent patterns across studies suggest a real association. These findings emphasize the importance of long-term medical monitoring for those with serious head injuries and underline the urgent need for better safety measures and awareness worldwide.

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