The month of May is Brain Tumor and Skin Cancer awareness month. It is an interesting coincidence that these two diseases share the same month, because the brain and the skin are both extremely important organs. The skin is the largest organ of the human body. It covers the body and helps protect us from pathogens and injury, regulates body temperature, produces vitamin D, gives the brain information about the environment through touch, and eliminates waste. The brain is the motherboard. It controls everything that the body does both involuntarily and voluntarily. When parts of the brain aren’t functioning normally, a person’s quality of life can greatly diminish.
Unfortunately, it is a lot easier to take preventative measures for protecting the skin and preventing skin cancer than brain tumors. Currently, there aren’t very many scientifically proven methods for preventing brain tumors. However, a healthy diet and lifestyle can’t hurt!
Here are five interesting facts about brain tumors*:
1) There are 120 different types of brain tumors.
2) 612,000 people in the US are living with central nervous system or primary brain tumors.
3) 66, 290 cases of primary brain tumors are expected to be diagnosed this year.
4) Brain tumors are the #2 leading cause of cancer related death among children and young adults.
5) The causes of brain tumors is relatively unknown.
*Information provided by: Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure’s “Brain Tumor Facts” page.
