A secondary brain cancer may be defined as a cancer that begins in another part of the body and spreads to the brain. According to experts, secondary brain cancers are found to be much more malignant and aggressive than cancers which develop in the brain. In fact, there are more than 100,000 people who are diagnosed with the secondary type of brain cancer in the United States every year.

Exposure to certain chemical agents is found to increase risk of a brain tumor. For example, pathologists and embalmers, who frequently work with the chemical formaldehyde, are seen to be at a higher risk of developing cranial tumor. The chemical vinyl chloride, which is extensively used in the plastics industry, has also been linked to brain tumors. Exposure to acrylonitrile, used in the textile and plastic industries, can potentially increase a person’s risk of developing brain cancer. Heavy cellphone use has also been seen to be linked to brain tumor due to radiation, as well as certain chemicals used in batteries. However, the evidence of this is still far from conclusive.

People who work in certain fields have been reported to suffer from much higher rates of brain cancer. For example, people working in nuclear power plants often find themselves in close proximity to highly radioactive substances, such as uranium. It has been shown that repeated exposure to such levels of radiation greatly increases risk of developing brain tumors. According to the World Nuclear Association, the maximum recommended level for radiation exposure is 100 mSv a year, beyond which the risk of cancer is very high.

The development of brain cancer has been closely linked with a poor diet. Unfortunately, processed foods make up a large part of the food pyramid in the modern diet. Many processed foods have been found to contain carcinogens, like aspartame, an artificial sweetener used in products like diet sodas. Excess consumption of such foods has been shown, by researchers, to be linked to cancer.

People who have undergone radiology earlier in their lives, for any kind of cancer, have been shown to be at a higher risk of brain cancer. Particularly, people who have been treated with radiation in their childhood are at high risk.

Although a brain tumor has not been proven to be hereditary, genetics certainly seems to be a factor. Instances of a person contracting a brain tumor are seen to be higher if his/her family has a history of cancer. Certain genetic factors like Turcot’s syndrome, tuberous sclerosis and Li-Fraumeni syndrome, which exhibit a mutation in the gene that suppresses tumors, have been identified as increasing risk.

Detection of brain tumors is most common among people of 70 years of age or above. It is also the second most common kind of cancer among small children under 8 years of age after leukemia. People in these age groups are considered to be at higher risk. It is thought that since the body’s immune system is underdeveloped in an individual under the age of 8 years, and significantly weakened in individuals over 70 years, these patients are less competent to deal with the effects of a tumor than a patient in the prime of their life.

Reports of brain cancer are found to be much more frequent among Caucasians as compared to any other race. Whether this is related to purely physiological differences, or more closely related to lifestyle and occupational trends is uncertain.

In general, brain tumors have been reported more amongst men than women. The mortality rate is also higher among men. It is surmised that gender specific hormones may be a factor in this. Certain hormones that are more dominant in men’s bodies, like testosterone, are being investigated for cancer causing properties by medical researchers.