Study links infections to brain tumors

NEWCASTLE, England, Jan. 23 (UPI) -- A joint British-Dutch study has found that infections can cause brain tumors among adults.

The research teams analyzed a database of adult brain tumors diagnosed in patients from the Netherlands between 1983 and 2001. They found clusters of cases of glioma tumors, which make up about half of all brain tumors, at different time intervals in different geographical locations.

The study said "space-time clustering" of cases is a pattern typical of diseases caused by infections. The findings support earlier theories that outbreaks of viruses are a potential contributory cause of brain tumors.

The study was led by Richard McNally at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne and was funded by Cancer Research U.K., the Dutch Cancer Society, and the Christie Hospital Research Endowment Fund.

The study warned it is too early to say exactly which infections could be the cause, and say that more research is needed to pinpoint them. The findings are published in the European Journal of Cancer.

"Very little is known about the cause of brain tumors and we think our research brings us closer to understanding more about this disease," said McNally.