Gregory A. Minton MD: What causes brain cancer? By Gregory A. Minton MD

May 20, 2010 - PRLog -- Gregory A. Minton MD: What causes brain cancer? By Gregory A. Minton MD

Cancer has many causes, some which aren’t always too obvious. Gregory A. Minton MD knows that for brain cancer, primary brain tumors arise from many types of brain tissue like glial cells, astrocytes, and other brain cell types. For a certain brain cancer, known as metastatic brain cancer, Gregory A. Minton MD explains that it is caused by the spread of cancer cells from a body organ to the brain. The causes for the change from normal cells to cancer cells in both metastatic and primary brain tumors however are not fully understood.

Gregory A. Minton MD has found that data gathered by research scientists show that people with certain risk factors are more likely to develop brain cancer. Individuals with risk factors like having a job in an oil refinery, as a chemist, embalmer, or rubber-industry worker show much higher rates of brain cancer. Although heredity as a cause for brain tumors has not been proven, there are still some families that have several members with brain cancer. Other risk factors Gregory A. Minton MD points out that have been suggested to cause brain cancer, but haven’t yet been proven, include smoking, radiation exposure, and viral infection (HIV). There is no good evidence that brain cancer is contagious, caused by head trauma, or caused by cell phone use. Although many lay press and Web articles claim that aspartame (artificial sweetener) causes brain cancer, as of 2009, Gregory A. Minton MD has learned that the FDA maintains that it does not cause brain cancer and base their findings on over 100 toxicological and clinical studies regarding the sweetener's safety.

Gregory A. Minton MD : What are the symptoms and signs of brain cancer?
The most typically common symptoms of brain cancer include weakness, difficulty walking, seizures, and headaches. Other common symptoms are nausea, vomiting, blurry vision, or a change in a person's alertness, mental capacity, memory, speech, or personality. Gregory A. Minton MD would like you to keep in mind that these symptoms can also occur in people that do not have brain cancer, and none of these symptoms alone or in combination can predict that a person has brain cancer. It is shown that cancer can indeed occur in any part of the brain. A few brain cancers may produce few or no symptoms (for example, some meningeal and pituitary gland tumors).

Gregory A. Minton MD: How is brain cancer prevented?
Although there is really no way to prevent brain cancers, early diagnosis and treatment of tumors that tend to metastasize to the brain may actually reduce the risk of metastatic brain tumors. The following factors have been suggested as possible risk factors for primary brain tumors: radiation to the head, HIV infection, and environmental toxins. However, Gregory A. Minton MD recognizes that no one knows the exact causes that initiate brain cancer, especially primary brain cancer, so specific preventive measures are not known. Although many Web sites and press articles suggest that macrobiotic diets, not using cell phones, and other methods will help prevent brain cancer, there is currently no reliable data to support these claims.

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Gregory Allen Minton MD is a highly respected doctor among all of his colleagues. Gregory A. Minton MD specializes in cancer research and medical science. You can only expect the best from Gregory Allen Minton MD.