Exposure to ionising radiation predisposes to the later development of brain tumours in a small perccentage of cases.
Whilst there are some rare genetic syndromes that predispose to brain tumours, the overwhelming majority of primary brain tumours are of a sporadic nature and, at present, the underlying cause is unknown .
The much publicised suggested risks of mobile phone use and habitat in proximity to 'power lines' have neither of them been shown (in well conducted epidemiological studies) to be related to an increased incidence of brain tumours.
For the vast majority of brain tumour cases, there is no predisposing cause known and no known familial risk.
