Epidemiology and Molecular Epidemiology

Neurosurg Clin N Am. 2019 Jan;30(1):1-16. doi: 10.1016/j.nec.2018.08.010.

Abstract

Incidence, prevalence, and survival for diffuse low-grade gliomas and diffuse anaplastic gliomas (including grade II and grade III astrocytomas and oligodendrogliomas) varies by histologic type, age at diagnosis, sex, and race/ethnicity. Significant progress has been made in identifying potential risk factors for glioma, although more research is warranted. The strongest risk factors that have been identified thus far include allergies/atopic disease, ionizing radiation, and heritable genetic factors. Further analysis of large, multicenter epidemiologic studies, and well-annotated "omic" datasets, can potentially lead to further understanding of the relationship between gene and environment in the process of brain tumor development.

Keywords: Diffuse glioma; Epidemiology; Incidence; Low-grade glioma; Population-based; Survival.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Astrocytoma / genetics
  • Brain Neoplasms / genetics*
  • Brain Neoplasms / pathology
  • Glioma / genetics*
  • Glioma / pathology
  • Humans
  • Molecular Epidemiology* / methods
  • Mutation / genetics*
  • Oligodendroglioma / genetics*
  • Oligodendroglioma / pathology