Experts’ Views on Screen Time and Lifestyle on Pediatric Brain Tumors
The young population faces an increasing health challenge posed by brain tumors affecting adolescents and children. While their occurrence isn’t as common as that of other cancers in this demographic group, brain cancers account for the biggest fraction of fatalities related to cancer in this group. Many questions have therefore emerged regarding whether modern screens and lifestyles play a role in the rise of brain cancer among younger people.
The general consensus within the scientific community is that there is no rigorous evidence suggesting that extensive time on screens or the use of mobile phones plays a causative role in the growing cases of brain tumors among adolescents and children. The radiation from mobile phones isn’t ionizing, so it is a bit of a stretch for now to say it plays a hand in triggering the development of cancerous or non-cancerous brain tumors.
Systematic reviews and large-scale epidemiologic research has so far not found a causal relationship between the use of mobile phones or spending a lot of time on screens and the onset of brain tumors. That said, studies are ongoing to monitor how screen time and mobile phone usage could impact the long term health of children and adolescents.
In the same way, no strong causative link has been established between modern lifestyle factors like unhealthy diets and increasing cases of brain tumors in adolescents and children. Aspects like lack of exercise and poor diet have a well documented association with a higher likelihood of the onset of many cancers among adults, but no such link has been established for primary brain tumors in younger people.
What is in no doubt is that youth who have a history of certain genetic syndromes in their families have a higher likelihood of developing primary brain tumors in their youth. Similarly, youth that have undergone radiation therapy targeting the head for other malignancies stand a higher chance of developing primary brain tumors.
Given that brain tumors are harder to diagnose in adolescents and children due to their diverse symptom profiles, it is advisable to have a medical consultation when a youth experiences neurological symptoms that are unusual or persistent, particularly if those symptoms are progressive. Diagnosis will require, among other things, an MRI scan or CT scan, followed by a biopsy to ascertain the type of tumor and inform treatment plan decisions.
Many companies like CNS Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: CNSP) are making remarkable progress in developing new therapeutics indicated for pediatric and adult-onset brain tumors, so early diagnosis offers the best chance of successfully treating the tumor before it causes lasting damage to the brain.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to CNS Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: CNSP) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/CNSP
Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the BioMedWire website applicable to all content provided by BMW, wherever published or re-published: http://BMW.fm/Disclaimer
The young population faces an increasing health challenge posed by brain tumors affecting adolescents and children. While their occurrence isn’t as common as that of other cancers in this demographic group, brain cancers account for the biggest fraction of fatalities related to cancer in this group. Many questions have therefore emerged regarding whether modern screens and lifestyles play a role in the rise of brain cancer among younger people.
The general consensus within the scientific community is that there is no rigorous evidence suggesting that extensive time on screens or the use of mobile phones plays a causative role in the growing cases of brain tumors among adolescents and children. The radiation from mobile phones isn’t ionizing, so it is a bit of a stretch for now to say it plays a hand in triggering the development of cancerous or non-cancerous brain tumors.
Systematic reviews and large-scale epidemiologic research has so far not found a causal relationship between the use of mobile phones or spending a lot of time on screens and the onset of brain tumors. That said, studies are ongoing to monitor how screen time and mobile phone usage could impact the long term health of children and adolescents.
In the same way, no strong causative link has been established between modern lifestyle factors like unhealthy diets and increasing cases of brain tumors in adolescents and children. Aspects like lack of exercise and poor diet have a well documented association with a higher likelihood of the onset of many cancers among adults, but no such link has been established for primary brain tumors in younger people.
What is in no doubt is that youth who have a history of certain genetic syndromes in their families have a higher likelihood of developing primary brain tumors in their youth. Similarly, youth that have undergone radiation therapy targeting the head for other malignancies stand a higher chance of developing primary brain tumors.
Given that brain tumors are harder to diagnose in adolescents and children due to their diverse symptom profiles, it is advisable to have a medical consultation when a youth experiences neurological symptoms that are unusual or persistent, particularly if those symptoms are progressive. Diagnosis will require, among other things, an MRI scan or CT scan, followed by a biopsy to ascertain the type of tumor and inform treatment plan decisions.
Many companies like CNS Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: CNSP) are making remarkable progress in developing new therapeutics indicated for pediatric and adult-onset brain tumors, so early diagnosis offers the best chance of successfully treating the tumor before it causes lasting damage to the brain.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to CNS Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: CNSP) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/CNSP
Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the BioMedWire website applicable to all content provided by BMW, wherever published or re-published: http://BMW.fm/Disclaimer
