Brain tumors account for 1.4% of all cancers and 2.4% of all cancer-related
deaths. The incidence of brain tumors varies and it is higher in developed
countries of Western Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand. In
Serbia, according to data from 2009, malignant brain tumors account for 2. 2
of all tumors, and from all cancer?related deaths, 3.2% is caused by
malignant brain tumors. According to recent statistical reports, an overall
incidence of brain tumors for benign and malignant tumors combined is 18.71
per 100,000 persons/year. The most common benign brain tumor in adults is
meningioma, which is most present in women, and the most common malignant
tumor is glioblastoma, which is most present in adult men. Due to high
mortality, especially in patients diagnosed with glioblastoma and significant
brain tumor morbidity, there is a constant interest in understanding its
etiology in order to possibly prevent tumor occurrence in future and enable
more efficient treatment strategies for this fatal brain disease. Despite the
continuously growing number of epidemiological studies on possible factors of
tumor incidence, the etiology remains unclear. The only established
environmental risk factor of gliomas is ionizing radiation exposure. Exposure
to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields via cell phone use has gained a lot
of attention as a potential risk factor of brain tumor development. However,
studies have been inconsistent and inconclusive, so more definite results are
still expected.
Myc proteins in brain tumor development and maintenance
