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Brain cancer is a rare disease. The most common type of malignant brain cancer in adults is glioma.

Recent scientific research has uncovered several genetic variants linked to an increase in the risk of glioma.

The deCODEme Complete Scan identifies the genetic variants known to associate with increased risk for glioma and uses them to provide a personalized interpretation of your genetic risk for developing glioma.

Genetic susceptibility is an important risk factor for glioma. deCODEme provides a personalized interpretation of the genetic risk for developing this rare disease

Glioma is a malignant type of cancer that originates in brain cells

There are two main types of brain cancer. One is primary brain cancer, which starts in the brain. The other is metastatic or secondary brain cancer, which starts in another part of the body (for example from cancer of the lung or breast) and spreads to the brain through the bloodstream (that is through metastasis).

There are several different types of gliomas

Brain tumors can be either benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (with cancer cells that multiply uncontrollably). A glioma is a malignant primary brain cancer that originates from so-called glial or neuroglial cells found within the brain and spine. There are several different types of gliomas determined by the type of glial cell that gives rise to the tumor. The most common type of glioma is the astrocytoma.

Glioma tumors are classified according to malignancy

Gliomas are classified in terms of how cancerous they are using a grading system from 1 through 4. Grade 1 tumors grow the slowest and are the least malignant, whereas grade 4 tumors are very malignant and often difficult to treat. Grade 4 gliomas are also known as glioblastoma multiforme.

Although rare, gliomas are the most common type of malignant brain cancer

Gliomas are rare. The chance of developing brain cancer between the age of 25 and 95 is about 0.6%. However, gliomas are the most common type of primary malignant brain tumor in adults. They account for up to 80% of all brain tumor cases, with around 21,000 diagnosed cases in the USA per year.

Gliomas can occur in all age groups, but are most commonly diagnosed in adults 50 to 70 years of age and occur more frequently in males than females by a ratio of about 3:2.

Both genetic and environmental factors play a role in the development of glioma

Despite extensive past and current research to identify major risk factors, the cause of primary brain tumors is unknown. With the exception of exposure to ionizing radiation for the treatment of other types of cancers, there is no well-defined association between exposure to environmental factors and the development of brain tumors.

Gliomas develop due to interactions between genes and toxins

It is thought that most brain tumors can be traced to interactions between genes and toxins. Recent scientific research has uncovered several genetic variants linked to an increase in the risk of glioma. These genetic variants are found on chromosomes 5, 8, 9 and 20 (see Shete et al, 2009). Interestingly, the genetic variant on chromosome 9 is near to the genes CDKN2A and CDKN2B, which help suppress the development of malignant cells. This raises the possibility that the chromosome 9 variant somehow impairs this important function.

deCODEme calculates your genetic risk for developing glioma

The deCODEme Complete Scan identifies the genetic variants listed above and uses them to provide customers of European descent with a personalized interpretation of their genetic risk for developing glioma. At present, the necessary scientific information to interpret the genetic risk for people of other ethnicities is not available. This information will be added as soon as it becomes available and we are assured of its quality.

This content was last reviewed on February 08, 2010.

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