Although the cause of most primary brain tumours is unknown, research into this is going on all the time. Brain tumours, like other cancers, are not infectious and cannot be passed on to other people. They are slightly more common in men than in women.

Although brain tumours can develop at any age, as with a lot of cancers, people are more likely to get them as they get older. Some types of brain tumour, however, are more common in younger adults. Children can also develop brain tumours.

Brain tumours are not caused by an inherited faulty gene that can be passed on to other family members.

A small number of brain tumours occur in people who have certain genetic conditions, such as neurofibromatosis type 1 and type 2, tuberous sclerosis, or the following syndromes:

• Li Fraumeni syndrome
• von Hippel Lindau syndrome
• Turcot syndrome
• Gorlin syndrome.

People who have been exposed to radiation to their head, such as children who had radiotherapy for leukaemia, are at slightly higher risk of developing a brain tumour than other people.

Other factors, such as mobile phones, power lines and certain viruses, have been suggested as possible causes of brain tumours. A lot of research has been done looking into these possible causes, especially mobile phones, but so far there is no evidence that they cause brain tumours.

The cause of a secondary brain tumour is always a primary cancer somewhere else in the body.