Biggest red flag causes of brain tumours in UK according to cancer charity

It's one of the worst diagnoses you can get. Not only is a brain tumour a form of cancer, it's one of the least preventable and most fatal types of cancer in the UK today.

Brain tumour rates have actually exploded since the 1980s, with everything from mobile phones to artificial sweeteners at one time or another blamed for the increasing numbers.

Research is ongoing, and often inconclusive. But according to Cancer Research UK, 3% of brain tumours diagnosed in the UK are preventable.

The Brain Tumour Charity lists several risk factors, including exposure to radiation, such as during X-rays and CT scans.

But it also examines several of the risk factors which have been studied over the years, including mobile phones, obesity and other conditions.

It says: "Non-ionising radiation includes the type of radiation from mobile phones and power lines. It has less energy than ionising radiation, as used in X-ray and radiotherapy machines, so cannot change our cells in the same way.

"You may have read articles about mobiles or power lines causing brain tumours, but research remains inconclusive and, at present, there is no clear link between exposure to mobile phones or power lines and brain tumours.

"In 2011, a large study by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) found no increase in risk of glioma or meningioma (the two most common types of brain tumour) nor acoustic neuroma, for low and moderate phone users.

"There were suggestions of an increased risk of glioma and acoustic neuroma for the very heaviest mobile phone users, but problems with the design of the study meant that it was not possible to come to a definite conclusion. Research is still ongoing."

It adds that having HIV or AIDS increases the risk, including a type of brain tumour called CNS lymphoma.

It also said 2% of brain tumours are thought to be caused by obesity, adding: "There is now evidence that women who are overweight or obese have an increased risk of developing a type of brain tumour called a meningioma.

"There is also some evidence that children born weighing more than 4kg (8lbs 13oz) are at a higher risk of developing types of brain tumours called astrocytoma or embryonal tumours.

"Some studies have shown an increase in the risk of developing certain types of brain tumour. This is because of the following factors:

• age (people aged 75 years and over)

• gender (slightly more females develop brain tumours than men)

• previous cancer (childhood brain and other solid tumours, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, leukaemia, melanoma, thyroid or prostate cancers)."