The mechanism of development of post-traumatic gliomas

Gliomas are the most common primary tumors of the central nervous system. Their aggressive form – glioblastomas is characterized by an unfavorable prognosis and a high frequency of relapses. It is believed that prior traumatic brain injury is one of the possible factors for the subsequent development of glial brain tumors. Several authors have proposed several criteria for establishing a possible causal relationship between traumatic brain injury and gliomas. However, the actual role of antecedent brain injury in the pathogenesis of this tumor type is still a matter of debate. It has been suggested that traumatic injuries cause an active and prolonged inflammatory process, while disrupting the permeability of the blood-brain barrier, which leads to exposure of the brain tissue to carcinogenic (toxic) substances, various growth factors or cells of the immune system circulating in the bloodstream, which ultimately can lead to malignant transformation of glial cells. One of the evidence for this hypothesis is supported by reports of meningiomas located adjacent to posttraumatic meninges and cerebral scars. In this paper, we will try to elucidate the potential relationship between traumatic brain injury and the formation of glial brain tumors.