health

The number of brain tumors diagnosed each year in both adults and children
in the United States has been gradually increasing since the 1960s.
The reasons for this increase are not yet clear. Theories include toxins in
the environment, viruses that have not yet been identified, and heavy
long-term use of cell phones.
Some newer treatments for brain tumors that are currently considered
experimental include drugs that block the growth of blood vessels
in tumors, thus starving them of nutrients. Other new drugs are intended
to make radiation therapy more effective by sensitizing the tumor cells to
radiation. Gene therapy and biological therapy (which works by stimulating
the patient’s immune system) are other rapidly expanding areas
of research in treating brain tumors.