Yonsei Med J.  2016 May;57(3):776-783. 10.3349/ymj.2016.57.3.776.

Risk Factors of Acoustic Neuroma: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

• Chen M
• Fan Z
• Zheng X
• Cao F
• Wang L

• KMID: 2374101
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3349/ymj.2016.57.3.776

Abstract

PURPOSE
Many epidemiological studies have investigated environmental risk factors for the development of acoustic neuroma. However, these results are controversial. We conducted a meta-analysis of case-control studies to identify any potential relationship between history of noise exposure, smoking, allergic diseases, and risk of acoustic neuroma.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
We searched PubMed to identify relevant articles. Two researchers evaluated the eligibility and extracted the data independently.
RESULTS
Eleven case-control studies were included in our meta-analysis. Acoustic neuroma was found to be associated with leisure noise exposure [odds ratio (OR)=1.33, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.05-1.68], but not with occupational noise exposure and ever noise exposure (OR=1.20, 95% CI: 0.84-1.72 and OR=1.15, 95% CI: 0.80-1.65). The OR of acoustic neuroma for ever (versus never) smoking was 0.53 (95% CI: 0.30-0.94), while the subgroup analysis indicated ORs of 0.95 (95% CI: 0.81-1.10) and 0.49 (95% CI: 0.41-0.59) for ex-smoker and current smoker respectively. The ORs for asthma, eczema, and seasonal rhinitis were 0.98 (95% CI: 0.80-1.18), 0.91 (95% CI: 0.76-1.09), and 1.52 (95% CI: 0.90-2.54), respectively.
CONCLUSION
Our meta-analysis is suggestive of an elevated risk of acoustic neuroma among individuals who were ever exposed to leisure noise, but not to occupational noise. Our study also indicated a lower acoustic neuroma risk among ever and current cigarette smokers than never smokers, while there was no significant relationship for ex-smokers. No significant associations were found between acoustic neuroma and history of any allergic diseases, such as asthma, eczema, and seasonal rhinitis.

Keyword

Noise; smoking; allergy; acoustic neuroma; meta-analysis

MeSH Terms

Adult
Asthma/complications
Environmental Exposure/*adverse effects
Female
Humans
Hypersensitivity
*Leisure Activities
Neuroma, Acoustic/epidemiology/*etiology
Noise/*adverse effects
Occupational Exposure/adverse effects
Risk Factors
Smoking/adverse effects

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for the association between ever noise exposure (A), occupational (B), and leisure noise exposure (C) versus never noise exposure and risk of acoustic neuroma.

• 

  Fig. 2 Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for the association between (A) ever, (B) ex-smoker, and (C) current smoker versus never smoking and risk of acoustic neuroma.

• 

  Fig. 3 Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for the association between (A) asthma, (B) eczema, and (C) seasonal rhinitis and risk of acoustic neuroma.

Reference

1. Howitz MF, Johansen C, Tos M, Charabi S, Olsen JH. Incidence of vestibular schwannoma in Denmark, 1977-1995. Am J Otol. 2000; 21:690–694.

2. Propp JM, McCarthy BJ, Davis FG, Preston-Martin S. Descriptive epidemiology of vestibular schwannomas. Neuro Oncol. 2006; 8:1–11.

3. Stangerup SE, Tos M, Thomsen J, Caye-Thomasen P. True incidence of vestibular schwannoma? Neurosurgery. 2010; 67:1335–1340.

4. Gal TJ, Shinn J, Huang B. Current epidemiology and management trends in acoustic neuroma. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2010; 142:677–681.

5. Preston DL, Ron E, Yonehara S, Kobuke T, Fujii H, Kishikawa M, et al. Tumors of the nervous system and pituitary gland associated with atomic bomb radiation exposure. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2002; 94:1555–1563.

6. Yonehara S, Brenner AV, Kishikawa M, Inskip PD, Preston DL, Ron E, et al. Clinical and epidemiologic characteristics of first primary tumors of the central nervous system and related organs among atomic bomb survivors in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, 1958-1995. Cancer. 2004; 101:1644–1654.

7. Schoemaker MJ, Swerdlow AJ, Ahlbom A, Auvinen A, Blaasaas KG, Cardis E, et al. Mobile phone use and risk of acoustic neuroma: results of the Interphone case-control study in five North European countries. Br J Cancer. 2005; 93:842–848.

8. Hardell L, Carlberg M, Hansson Mild K. Case-control study on cellular and cordless telephones and the risk for acoustic neuroma or meningioma in patients diagnosed 2000-2003. Neuroepidemiology. 2005; 25:120–128.

9. Inskip PD, Tarone RE, Hatch EE, Wilcosky TC, Shapiro WR, Selker RG, et al. Cellular-telephone use and brain tumors. N Engl J Med. 2001; 344:79–86.

10. Hardell L, Carlberg M, Hansson Mild K. Epidemiological evidence for an association between use of wireless phones and tumor diseases. Pathophysiology. 2009; 16:113–122.

11. Preston-Martin S, Thomas DC, Wright WE, Henderson BE. Noise trauma in the aetiology of acoustic neuromas in men in Los Angeles County, 1978-1985. Br J Cancer. 1989; 59:783–786.

12. Brenner AV, Linet MS, Fine HA, Shapiro WR, Selker RG, Black PM, et al. History of allergies and autoimmune diseases and risk of brain tumors in adults. Int J Cancer. 2002; 99:252–259.

13. Edwards CG, Schwartzbaum JA, Lnn S, Ahlbom A, Feychting M. Exposure to loud noise and risk of acoustic neuroma. Am J Epidemiol. 2006; 163:327–333.

14. Schoemaker MJ, Swerdlow AJ, Auvinen A, Christensen HC, Feychting M, Johansen C, et al. Medical history, cigarette smoking and risk of acoustic neuroma: an international case-control study. Int J Cancer. 2007; 120:103–110.

15. Edwards CG, Schwartzbaum JA, Nise G, Forssén UM, Ahlbom A, Lönn S, et al. Occupational noise exposure and risk of acoustic neuroma. Am J Epidemiol. 2007; 166:1252–1258.

16. Schlehofer B, Schlaefer K, Blettner M, Berg G, Böhler E, Hettinger I, et al. Environmental risk factors for sporadic acoustic neuroma (Interphone Study Group, Germany). Eur J Cancer. 2007; 43:1741–1747.

17. Hours M, Bernard M, Arslan M, Montestrucq L, Richardson L, Deltour I, et al. Can loud noise cause acoustic neuroma? Analysis of the INTERPHONE study in France. Occup Environ Med. 2009; 66:480–486.

18. Corona AP, Ferrite S, Lopes Mda S, Rgo MA. Risk factors associated with vestibular nerve schwannomas. Otol Neurotol. 2012; 33:459–465.

19. Han YY, Berkowitz O, Talbott E, Kondziolka D, Donovan M, Lunsford LD. Are frequent dental x-ray examinations associated with increased risk of vestibular schwannoma? J Neurosurg. 2012; 117:Suppl. 78–83.

20. Turner MC, Krewski D, Armstrong BK, Chetrit A, Giles GG, Hours M, et al. Allergy and brain tumors in the INTERPHONE study: pooled results from Australia, Canada, France, Israel, and New Zealand. Cancer Causes Control. 2013; 24:949–960.

21. Fisher JL, Pettersson D, Palmisano S, Schwartzbaum JA, Edwards CG, Mathiesen T, et al. Loud noise exposure and acoustic neuroma. Am J Epidemiol. 2014; 180:58–67.

22. Arrighi HM, Hertz-Picciotto I. The evolving concept of the healthy worker survivor effect. Epidemiology. 1994; 5:189–196.

23. Hamernik RP, Turrentine G, Wright CG. Surface morphology of the inner sulcus and related epithelial cells of the cochlea following acoustic trauma. Hear Res. 1984; 16:143–160.

24. Watanabe K, Inai S, Hess A, Michel O, Yagi T. Acoustic stimulation promotes the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase in the vestibule of guinea pigs. Acta Otolaryngol Suppl. 2004; (553):54–57.

25. Van Campen LE, Murphy WJ, Franks JR, Mathias PI, Toraason MA. Oxidative DNA damage is associated with intense noise exposure in the rat. Hear Res. 2002; 164:29–38.

26. Albanes D, Winick M. Are cell number and cell proliferation risk factors for cancer? J Natl Cancer Inst. 1988; 80:772–774.

27. Palmisano S, Schwartzbaum J, Prochazka M, Pettersson D, Bergenheim T, Florentzson R, et al. Role of tobacco use in the etiology of acoustic neuroma. Am J Epidemiol. 2012; 175:1243–1251.

28. Benson VS, Green J, Pirie K, Beral V. Cigarette smoking and risk of acoustic neuromas and pituitary tumours in the Million Women Study. Br J Cancer. 2010; 102:1654–1656.

29. Shi FD, Piao WH, Kuo YP, Campagnolo DI, Vollmer TL, Lukas RJ. Nicotinic attenuation of central nervous system inflammation and autoimmunity. J Immunol. 2009; 182:1730–1739.

30. Nizri E, Irony-Tur-Sinai M, Lory O, Orr-Urtreger A, Lavi E, Brenner T. Activation of the cholinergic anti-inflammatory system by nicotine attenuates neuroinflammation via suppression of Th1 and Th17 responses. J Immunol. 2009; 183:6681–6688.

31. Jensen JA, Goodson WH, Hopf HW, Hunt TK. Cigarette smoking decreases tissue oxygen. Arch Surg. 1991; 126:1131–1134.

32. Zhu H, Li F, Yu WJ, Wang WJ, Li L, Wan LD, et al. Effect of hypoxia/reoxygenation on cell viability and expression and secretion of neurotrophic factors (NTFs) in primary cultured schwann cells. Anat Rec (Hoboken). 2010; 293:865–870.

33. Kramer F, Stöver T, Warnecke A, Diensthuber M, Lenarz T, Wissel K. BDNF mRNA expression is significantly upregulated in vestibular schwannomas and correlates with proliferative activity. J Neurooncol. 2010; 98:31–39.

34. Schlehofer B, Siegmund B, Linseisen J, Schüz J, Rohrmann S, Becker S, et al. Primary brain tumours and specific serum immuno-globulin E: a case-control study nested in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition cohort. Allergy. 2011; 66:1434–1441.

35. Burnet FM. The concept of immunological surveillance. Prog Exp Tumor Res. 1970; 13:1–27.

36. Nieters A, Linseisen J, Becker N. Association of polymorphisms in Th1, Th2 cytokine genes with hayfever and atopy in a subsample of EPIC-Heidelberg. Clin Exp Allergy. 2004; 34:346–353.

37. Inskip PD, Mellemkjaer L, Gridley G, Olsen JH. Incidence of intracranial tumors following hospitalization for head injuries (Denmark). Cancer Causes Control. 1998; 9:109–116.