Study links head trauma to higher brain cancer death risk

A U.S. study of more than 20,000 patients found that people who suffered head or brain trauma were 1.75 times more likely to die from brain cancer than those without such injuries. The analysis covered the period from 1987 to 2024. Among patients with firearm-related head wounds, the risk rose to more than 14 times the baseline, according to the researchers. They said chronic inflammation following tissue damage may play a role and that traumatic brain injuries should be considered a long-term cancer risk factor rather than solely an acute medical issue. The findings build on earlier work by University of London Cancer Institute, which reported that head injuries can contribute to the development of glioma, a rare and aggressive form of brain tumor.