Excess weight linked to brain cancer risk

October 13, 2015  10:46

Weight and physical activity levels may affect the risk of a certain brain cancers, new research suggests.

Excess weight was associated with a higher risk of a type of brain cancer known as meningioma. Obesity increased the risk of meningioma by 54 percent, and being overweight upped the risk by 21 percent, the study found.

On the other hand, people who were physically active reduced the risk of meningioma by 27 percent, the researchers said.

"There are very few known preventive factors for these tumors," said study author Gundula Behrens, from the department of epidemiology and preventive medicine at the University of Regensburg in Germany. "According to our study, reducing excess weight and adopting a physically active lifestyle may help prevent meningiomas."

The study also found that being heavier was not linked to the risk of a second, deadlier form of brain cancer called glioma. And while there was a weak association between more physical activity and a lower risk of glioma, the researchers said the finding wasn't statistically significant.

While the study was able to show an association between weight and physical activity and the risk of meningioma, it wasn't designed to prove a cause-and-effect relationship.

The findings were published online in Neurology.

Meningioma and glioma are the most common types of brain tumors in adults, according to background information in the study. However, these tumors are still rare.

Annually, about five to eight people of every 100,000 will be diagnosed with meningioma. About five to seven of every 100,000 people will receive a glioma diagnosis in a given year, the study authors said.

At five years following a diagnosis, 63 percent of people with meningioma will still be alive. Glioma is far more deadly, with only a 4 percent survival rate at five years, the study reported.

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