Overview

• In JAMA Network Open, investigators analyzed 151,358 adult electronic health records from 2000–2024, comparing patients with traumatic brain injury to age- and sex-matched controls.
• Moderate or severe traumatic brain injury was associated with a statistically significant 67% higher risk of developing malignant brain tumors versus controls and those with mild injury.
• The absolute risk remained low, with 0.6% of moderate or severe cases (87 of 14,944) diagnosed within about three to five years after injury.
• Mild traumatic brain injury, including concussion, showed no increased risk of malignant brain tumor in the analyses.
• Authors urge long-term monitoring for survivors of moderate or severe injury and plan follow-up translational and imaging studies to explore mechanisms and confirm the association.