A food-borne pathogen may be linked to a type of rare brain cancer in adults, a new study suggests. Researchers found that people who have glioma are more likely to have antibodies to toxoplasma gondii than a similar group.
Exposure To Common Parasite In Undercooked Meat Linked To Brain Cancer Risk: Study
KEY POINTS
The parasite is also found in undercooked meat
Glioma can be fatal but it is still considered a rare cancer
Can a parasite lead to brain cancer? The researchers of a new study found evidence that people with antibodies for a parasite commonly found in undercooked meat could be more likely to develop a fatal type of
Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) is a common parasite that can infect most warm-blooded species including humans, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (
CDC) said. According to the researchers of a new study, published in the International Journal of Cancer, these parasites can also lead to the formation of cysts in the brain.
toxoplasma gondii (
T. gondii) infection and the risk of glioma, a type of brain cancer, in adults. The report, appearing in the International Journal of Cancer, finds that people who have glioma are more likely to have antibodies to
T. gondii (indicating that they have had a previous infection) than a similar group that was cancer free.
For the study, investigators led by James Hodge, JD, MPH and Anna Coghill, PhD examined the association between
T. gondii antibodies measured several years before the cancer was diagnosed and the risk of developing a glioma. Study participants were from the American Cancer Society s Cancer Prevention Study-II (CPS-II) Nutrition Cohort and the Norwegian Cancer Registry s Janus Serum Bank (Janus).