New Study Suggests Concussions Could Lead to Higher Risks of Brain Cancer

A new study that has been published in JAMA Network has found that military veterans that sustained traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) had an elevated risk of developing cancerous brain tumors. Doctor Ian Stewart, who led this breakthrough study, explains that his team found that veterans that sustained moderate or severe TBIs had their likelihood of developing brain cancer increase by 90%.

Glioblastoma, or GBM, is the most common type of brain cancer, and fatalities from this cancer are high. On average, individuals diagnosed with this type of cancer survive for 14 months only.

While this link between TBIs and GBM needs to be studied further, questions are already emerging regarding what the findings of Stewart’s study posit for individuals who have suffered from other injuries to the brain, such as the injuries that student athletes sustain.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that approximately 4 million sports-linked concussions occur each year in the U.S. Many of these injuries involve young teens and kids. These sections of the population have a higher likelihood of suffering concussions and usually manifest more prolonged and severe concussion symptoms in comparison to adults or young college-going students.

Doctor Sajeel Khan, a neurosurgeon who didn’t participate in the study conducted by Doctor Stewart, says the research findings aren’t very surprising to him because in the course of doing his work, he has come across cases in which patients that suffered moderate or severe TBIs later developed high-grade GBM. He adds that in many of those patients, the tumors develop in the locations where the TBI was sustained, according to brain imaging conducted at the time of the injury and at the time a glioblastoma diagnosis is made.

Dr. Khan says many studies reveal this correlation. However, those studies are retrospective, meaning that the researchers didn’t actively study the people who suffer TBIs for years or decades in order to document the incidence of glioblastoma over time.

Nevertheless, there is growing urgency to find ways to prevent or minimize concussions among younger people, and athletes in general, since these injuries can have far-reaching consequences, including the possibility of developing brain cancer.

As different approaches, such as requiring young athletes in contact sports to wear guardian caps are explored, effort is also being expended by companies like CNS Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: CNSP) to develop next-generation treatments targeting glioblastoma and other central nervous system cancers. Implementing preventive measures while increasing the range of available treatments for brain cancers offers a more comprehensive way to deal with the challenges arising from brain injuries.

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

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