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Causes of Tumor
Causes of Tumor: Online Medical Books
16 MEDICAL BOOKS ONLINE! Review excerpts from medical books online, free, without registration, for more information about the causes of Tumor.
Malignant spinal neoplasms:
Causes and incidence
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))
Primary tumors of the spinal cord may be extramedullary (occurring outside the spinal cord) or intramedullary (occurring within the cord itself). Extramedullary tumors may be intradural (meningiomas and schwannomas), which account for 60% of all primary malignant spinal cord neoplasms, or extradural (metastatic tumors from breasts, lungs, prostate, leukemia, or lymphomas), which account for 25% of these malignant neoplasms.
Intramedullary tumors, or gliomas (astrocytomas or ependymomas), are comparatively rare, accounting for only about 10%. In children, they're low-grade astrocytomas.
Spinal cord tumors are rare compared with intracranial tumors (ratio of 1:4). They occur equally in men and women, with the exception of meningiomas, which occur mostly in women. Spinal cord tumors can occur anywhere along the length of the cord or its roots.
Malignant brain tumors:
Causes and incidence
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))
The cause of most brain tumors is unknown, but exposure to ionizing radiation is a known environmental risk. Additionally, most malignant tumors of the brain are of metastatic origin; 20% to 40% of patients with cancer develop brain metastasis.
Primary malignant bone tumors:
Causes and incidence
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))
Causes of primary malignant bone tumors are unknown. Some researchers suggest that primary malignant bone tumors arise in areas of rapid growth because children and young adults with such tumors seem to be much taller than average. Additional theories point to heredity, trauma, and excessive radiotherapy.
For incidence information, see Comparing primary malignant bone tumors.
Pituitary tumors:
Causes and incidence
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))
Although the exact cause is unknown, a predisposition to pituitary tumors may be inherited through an autosomal dominant trait. Pituitary tumors aren't malignant in the strict sense but, because their growth is invasive, they're considered a neoplastic disease.
Chromophobe adenoma may be associated with production of corticotropin, melanocyte-stimulating hormone, growth hormone (GH), and prolactin; basophil adenoma, with evidence of excess corticotropin production and, consequently, with signs of Cushing's syndrome; eosinophil adenoma, with excessive GH.
Pituitary tumors develop in 1 in 10,000 people. About 15% of tumors located within the skull are pituitary tumors.
Introduction: Malignant Neoplasms:
What causes cancer?
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))
Researchers have found that cancer develops from mutations within the genes of cells. Thus, cancer is a genetic disease. Cancer susceptibility genes are of two types. Some are oncogenes, which activate cell division and influence embryonic development, and some are tumor suppressor genes, which halt cell division.
These genes are typically found in normal human cells, but certain kinds of mutations may transform the normal cells. Inherited defects may cause a genetic mutation, whereas exposure to a carcinogen may cause an acquired mutation. Current evidence indicates that carcinogenesis results from a complex interaction of carcinogens and accumulated mutations in several genes.
In animal studies of the ability of viruses to transform cells, some human viruses exhibit carcinogenic potential. For example, the Epstein-Barr virus, the cause of infectious mononucleosis, has been linked to Burkitt's lymphoma and nasopharyngeal cancer.
High-frequency radiation, such as ultraviolet and ionizing radiation, damages the genetic material known as deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), possibly inducing genetically transferable abnormalities. Other factors, such as a person's tissue type and hormonal status, interact to potentiate radiation's carcinogenic effect. Examples of substances that may damage DNA and induce carcinogenesis include:
❑alkylating agents — leukemia
❑aromatic hydrocarbons and benzopyrene (from polluted air) — lung cancer
❑asbestos — mesothelioma of the lung
❑tobacco — cancer of the lung, oral cavity and upper airways, esophagus, pancreas, kidneys, and bladder
❑vinyl chloride — angiosarcoma of the liver.
Diet has also been implicated, especially in the development of GI cancer as a result of a high animal fat diet. Additives composed of nitrates and certain methods of food preparation — particularly charbroiling — are also recognized factors.
The role of hormones in carcinogenesis is still controversial, but it seems that excessive use of some hormones, especially estrogen, produces cancer in animals. Also, the synthetic estrogen diethylstilbestrol causes vaginal cancer in some daughters of women who were treated with it. It's unclear, however, whether changes in human hormonal balance retard or stimulate cancer development.
Some forms of cancer and precancerous lesions result from genetic predisposition either directly (as in Wilms' tumor and retinoblastoma) or indirectly (in association with inherited conditions such as Down syndrome or immunodeficiency diseases). Expressed as autosomal recessive, X-linked, or autosomal dominant disorders, their common characteristics include:
❑early onset of malignant disease
❑increased incidence of bilateral cancer in paired organs (breasts, adrenal glands, kidneys, and eighth cranial nerve [acoustic neuroma])
❑increased incidence of multiple primary malignancies in nonpaired organs
❑abnormal chromosome complement in tumor cells.
Bone tumors, primary malignant:
Causes
(Handbook of Diseases)
Although some cases of osteosarcoma are associated with genetic abnormalities (retinoblastoma, Rothmund Thomson syndrome) or exposure to carcinogens (such as ingested radium in watch dial painters), most cases have no immediately apparent cause. Ewing’s sarcoma cells demonstrate a characteristic translocation of genetic material from chromosome 22 to chromosome 11. Additional theories point to heredity, trauma, and excessive radiation therapy.
Brain tumors, malignant:
Causes
(Handbook of Diseases)
Some tumors are congenital, whereas others are hereditary. The cause of most brain tumors is unknown.
Pituitary tumors:
Causes
(Handbook of Diseases)
Although the exact cause is unknown, a predisposition to pituitary tumors may be inherited through an autosomal dominant trait. Some are part of a hereditary disorder called multiple endocrine neoplasia 1. Pituitary tumors aren’t malignant in the strict sense; however, because their growth is invasive, they’re considered a neoplastic disease.
Chromophobe adenoma may be associated with the production of corticotropin, melanocyte-stimulating hormone, growth hormone, and prolactin; basophil adenoma, with evidence of excess corticotropin production and, consequently, with signs of Cushing’s syndrome; and eosinophil adenoma, with excessive growth hormone.
Spinal neoplasms:
Causes
(Handbook of Diseases)
Primary spinal cord tumors may be extramedullary (occurring outside the spinal cord) or intramedullary (occurring within the cord itself). Extra-medullary tumors may be intradural (meningiomas and schwannomas), which account for 60% of all primary spinal cord neoplasms, or extradural (metastatic tumors from breasts, lungs, prostate, leukemia, or lymphomas), which account for 25% of these neoplasms.
Intramedullary tumors, or gliomas (astrocytomas or ependymomas), are comparatively rare, accounting for only about 10% of tumors. In children, they’re low-grade astrocytomas.
Spinal cord tumors are rare compared with intracranial tumors (ratio of 1:4). They occur with equal frequency in men and women, with the exception of meningiomas, which occur most often in women. Spinal cord tumors can occur anywhere along the length of the cord or its roots.
Tumor as a complication of other conditions:
Other conditions that might have Tumor as a complication may, potentially, be an underlying cause of Tumor. Our database lists the following as having Tumor as a complication of that condition:
Tumor as a symptom:
Conditions listing Tumor as a symptom may also be potential underlying causes of Tumor. Our database lists the following as having Tumor as a symptom of that condition:
- Abnormalities, Radiation-Induced
- Angiofollicular lymph hyperplasia
- Mycosis fungoides, familial
- Neuroblastoma
- Neurofibromatosis-1
- Radiation related neoplasm
Medications or substances causing Tumor:
The following drugs, medications, substances or toxins are some of the possible
causes of Tumor as a symptom.
This list is incomplete and various other drugs or substances
may cause your symptoms.
Always advise your doctor of any medications or treatments you are using,
including prescription, over-the-counter, supplements, herbal or alternative treatments.
- Stavudine
- Zerit
- Zerit XR
- Didanosine
- Videx
See full list of 6 medications causing Tumor
Medical news summaries relating to Tumor:
The following medical news items are relevant to causes of Tumor:
Related information on causes of Tumor:
As with all medical conditions, there may be many causal factors. Further relevant information on causes of Tumor may be found in:
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