Peter D. Inskip, Sc.D., Robert E. Tarone, Ph.D., Elizabeth E. Hatch, Ph.D., Timothy C. Wilcosky, Ph.D., William R. Shapiro, M.D., Robert G. Selker, M.D., Howard A. Fine, M.D., Peter M. Black, M.D., Jay S. Loeffler, M.D., and Martha S. Linet, M.D.
Background Concern has arisen that the use of hand-held cellulartelephones might cause brain tumors. If such a risk does exist,the matter would be of considerable public health importance,given the rapid increase worldwide in the use of these devices.
Methods We examined the use of cellular telephones in a case–controlstudy of intracranial tumors of the nervous system conductedbetween 1994 and 1998. We enrolled 782 patients through hospitalsin Phoenix, Arizona; Boston; and Pittsburgh; 489 had histologicallyconfirmed glioma, 197 had meningioma, and 96 had acoustic neuroma.The 799 controls were patients admitted to the same hospitalsas the patients with brain tumors for a variety of nonmalignantconditions.
Results As compared with never, or very rarely, having useda cellular telephone, the relative risks associated with a cumulativeuse of a cellular telephone for more than 100 hours were 0.9for glioma (95 percent confidence interval, 0.5 to 1.6), 0.7for meningioma (95 percent confidence interval, 0.3 to 1.7),1.4 for acoustic neuroma (95 percent confidence interval, 0.6to 3.5), and 1.0 for all types of tumors combined (95 percentconfidence interval, 0.6 to 1.5). There was no evidence thatthe risks were higher among persons who used cellular telephonesfor 60 or more minutes per day or regularly for five or moreyears. Tumors did not occur disproportionately often on theside of head on which the telephone was typically used.
Conclusions These data do not support the hypothesis that therecent use of hand-held cellular telephones causes brain tumors,but they are not sufficient to evaluate the risks among long-term,heavy users and for potentially long induction periods.
Source Information
From the Epidemiology and Biostatistics Program, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics (P.D.I., R.E.T., E.E.H., M.S.L.), and the Neuro-Oncology Branch (H.A.F.), National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Md.; the Epidemiology and Medical Studies Program, Research Triangle Institute, Research Triangle Park, N.C. (T.C.W.); the Department of Neurology, Barrow Neurological Institute, St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, Phoenix, Ariz. (W.R.S.); the Division of Neurosurgery, Western Pennsylvania Hospital, Pittsburgh (R.G.S.); Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston (P.M.B.); and the Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston (J.S.L.).
Address reprint requests to Dr. Inskip at Executive Plaza S., Rm. 7052, 6120 Executive Blvd., Rockville, MD 20852, or at inskippe{at}mail.nih.gov.
Bhatti, P., Stewart, P. A., Hutchinson, A., Rothman, N., Linet, M. S., Inskip, P. D., Rajaraman, P.
(2009). Lead Exposure, Polymorphisms in Genes Related to Oxidative Stress, and Risk of Adult Brain Tumors. Cancer Epidemiol. Biomarkers Prev.
18: 1841-1848
[Abstract][Full Text]
Rajaraman, P., Brenner, A. V., Butler, M. A., Wang, S. S., Pfeiffer, R. M., Ruder, A. M., Linet, M. S., Yeager, M., Wang, Z., Orr, N., Fine, H. A., Kwon, D., Thomas, G., Rothman, N., Inskip, P. D., Chanock, S. J.
(2009). Common Variation in Genes Related to Innate Immunity and Risk of Adult Glioma. Cancer Epidemiol. Biomarkers Prev.
18: 1651-1658
[Abstract][Full Text]
McKean-Cowdin, R., Barnholtz-Sloan, J., Inskip, P. D., Ruder, A. M., Butler, M., Rajaraman, P., Razavi, P., Patoka, J., Wiencke, J. K., Bondy, M. L., Wrensch, M.
(2009). Associations between Polymorphisms in DNA Repair Genes and Glioblastoma. Cancer Epidemiol. Biomarkers Prev.
18: 1118-1126
[Abstract][Full Text]
Olsen, J.
(2009). Mobiles phones and health. Scand J Public Health
37: 1-3
Kheifets, L., Oksuzyan, S.
(2008). Exposure assessment and other challenges in non-ionizing radiation studies of childhood leukaemia. Radiat Prot Dosimetry
132: 139-147
[Abstract][Full Text]
Lahkola, A, Salminen, T, Raitanen, J, Heinavaara, S, Schoemaker, M., Christensen, H C., Feychting, M, Johansen, C, Klaeboe, L, Lonn, S, Swerdlow, A., Tynes, T, Auvinen, A
(2008). Meningioma and mobile phone use--a collaborative case-control study in five North European countries. Int J Epidemiol
37: 1304-1313
[Abstract][Full Text]
Wen, P. Y., Kesari, S.
(2008). Malignant Gliomas in Adults. NEJM
359: 492-507
[Full Text]
Kundi, M
(2008). What can be learned from the Japanese study of mobile phone use and acoustic neuroma?. Occup. Environ. Med.
65: 428-428
[Full Text]
Samanic, C. M., De Roos, A. J., Stewart, P. A., Rajaraman, P., Waters, M. A., Inskip, P. D.
(2008). Occupational Exposure to Pesticides and Risk of Adult Brain Tumors. Am J Epidemiol
167: 976-985
[Abstract][Full Text]
Sadetzki, S., Chetrit, A., Jarus-Hakak, A., Cardis, E., Deutch, Y., Duvdevani, S., Zultan, A., Novikov, I., Freedman, L., Wolf, M.
(2008). Cellular Phone Use and Risk of Benign and Malignant Parotid Gland Tumors--A Nationwide Case-Control Study. Am J Epidemiol
167: 457-467
[Abstract][Full Text]
Rajaraman, P., Hutchinson, A., Rothman, N., Black, P. M., Fine, H. A., Loeffler, J. S., Selker, R. G., Shapiro, W. R., Linet, M. S., Inskip, P. D.
(2008). Oxidative response gene polymorphisms and risk of adult brain tumors. Neuro Oncol
10: 709-715
[Abstract][Full Text]
Krex, D., Klink, B., Hartmann, C., von Deimling, A., Pietsch, T., Simon, M., Sabel, M., Steinbach, J. P., Heese, O., Reifenberger, G., Weller, M., Schackert, G., for the German Glioma Network,
(2007). Long-term survival with glioblastoma multiforme. Brain
130: 2596-2606
[Abstract][Full Text]
Hardell, L., Carlberg, M., Soderqvist, F., Mild, K. H., Morgan, L. L.
(2007). Long-term use of cellular phones and brain tumours: increased risk associated with use for >=10 years. Occup. Environ. Med.
64: 626-632
[Abstract][Full Text]
Rajaraman, P., Wang, S. S., Rothman, N., Brown, M. M., Black, P. M., Fine, H. A., Loeffler, J. S., Selker, R. G., Shapiro, W. R., Chanock, S. J., Inskip, P. D.
(2007). Polymorphisms in Apoptosis and Cell Cycle Control Genes and Risk of Brain Tumors in Adults. Cancer Epidemiol. Biomarkers Prev.
16: 1655-1661
[Abstract][Full Text]
Bluhm, E. C., Zahm, S. H., Fine, H. A., Black, P. M., Loeffler, J. S., Shapiro, W. R., Selker, R. G., Inskip, P. D.
(2007). Personal Hair Dye Use and Risks of Glioma, Meningioma, and Acoustic Neuroma among Adults. Am J Epidemiol
165: 63-71
[Abstract][Full Text]
Schuz, J., Jacobsen, R., Olsen, J. H., Boice, J. D. Jr, McLaughlin, J. K., Johansen, C.
(2006). Cellular Telephone Use and Cancer Risk: Update of a Nationwide Danish Cohort. JNCI J Natl Cancer Inst
98: 1707-1713
[Abstract][Full Text]
Rajaraman, P., Stewart, P. A., Samet, J. M., Schwartz, B. S., Linet, M. S., Zahm, S. H., Rothman, N., Yeager, M., Fine, H. A., Black, P. M., Loeffler, J., Shapiro, W. R., Selker, R. G., Inskip, P. D.
(2006). Lead, Genetic Susceptibility, and Risk of Adult Brain Tumors. Cancer Epidemiol. Biomarkers Prev.
15: 2514-2520
[Abstract][Full Text]
Takebayashi, T, Akiba, S, Kikuchi, Y, Taki, M, Wake, K, Watanabe, S, Yamaguchi, N
(2006). Mobile phone use and acoustic neuroma risk in Japan. Occup. Environ. Med.
63: 802-807
[Abstract][Full Text]
Hepworth, S. J, Schoemaker, M. J, Muir, K. R, Swerdlow, A. J, van Tongeren, M. J A, McKinney, P. A
(2006). Mobile phone use and risk of glioma in adults: case-control study. BMJ
332: 883-887
[Abstract][Full Text]
De Roos, A. J., Rothman, N., Brown, M., Bell, D. A., Pittman, G. S., Shapiro, W. R., Selker, R. G., Fine, H. A., Black, P. M., Inskip, P. D.
(2006). Variation in genes relevant to aromatic hydrocarbon metabolism and the risk of adult brain tumors.. Neuro Oncol
8: 145-155
[Abstract][Full Text]
Wood, A W
(2006). How dangerous are mobile phones, transmission masts, and electricity pylons?. Arch. Dis. Child.
91: 361-366
[Abstract][Full Text]
Schuz, J., Bohler, E., Berg, G., Schlehofer, B., Hettinger, I., Schlaefer, K., Wahrendorf, J., Kunna-Grass, K., Blettner, M.
(2006). Cellular Phones, Cordless Phones, and the Risks of Glioma and Meningioma (Interphone Study Group, Germany). Am J Epidemiol
163: 512-520
[Abstract][Full Text]
Propp, J. M., McCarthy, B. J., Davis, F. G., Preston-Martin, S.
(2006). Descriptive epidemiology of vestibular schwannomas. Neuro Oncol
8: 1-11
[Abstract][Full Text]
Hoffman, S., Propp, J. M., McCarthy, B. J.
(2006). Temporal trends in incidence of primary brain tumors in the United States, 1985-1999. Neuro Oncol
8: 27-37
[Abstract][Full Text]
Christensen, H. C., Schuz, J., Kosteljanetz, M., Poulsen, H. S., Boice, J. D. Jr, McLaughlin, J. K., Johansen, C.
(2005). Cellular telephones and risk for brain tumors: A population-based, incident case-control study. Neurology
64: 1189-1195
[Abstract][Full Text]
Lonn, S., Ahlbom, A., Hall, P., Feychting, M., the Swedish Interphone Study Group,
(2005). Long-Term Mobile Phone Use and Brain Tumor Risk. Am J Epidemiol
161: 526-535
[Abstract][Full Text]
Kleinerman, R. A., Linet, M. S., Hatch, E. E., Tarone, R. E., Black, P. M., Selker, R. G., Shapiro, W. R., Fine, H. A., Inskip, P. D.
(2005). Self-reported Electrical Appliance Use and Risk of Adult Brain Tumors. Am J Epidemiol
161: 136-146
[Abstract][Full Text]
Brenner, A. V., Linet, M. S., Shapiro, W. R., Selker, R. G., Fine, H. A., Black, P. M., Inskip, P. D.
(2004). Season of birth and risk of brain tumors in adults. Neurology
63: 276-281
[Abstract][Full Text]
Pueschel, J. K.
(2004). Integrative Tumor Board: Glioblastoma Multiforme: Neurooncology. Integr Cancer Ther
3: 151-152
Kundi, M
(2004). Mobile phone use and cancer. Occup. Environ. Med.
61: 560-570
[Full Text]
Christensen, H. C., Schuz, J., Kosteljanetz, M., Poulsen, H. S., Thomsen, J., Johansen, C.
(2004). Cellular Telephone Use and Risk of Acoustic Neuroma. Am J Epidemiol
159: 277-283
[Abstract][Full Text]
Ahlbom, A., Feychting, M.
(2003). Electromagnetic radiation: Environmental pollution and health. Br Med Bull
68: 157-165
[Abstract][Full Text]
Brenner, A. V., Linet, M. S., Selker, R. G., Shapiro, W. R., Black, P. M., Fine, H. A., Inskip, P. D.
(2003). Polio Vaccination and Risk of Brain Tumors in Adults: No Apparent Association. Cancer Epidemiol. Biomarkers Prev.
12: 177-178
[Full Text]
De Roos, A. J., Rothman, N., Inskip, P. D., Linet, M. S., Shapiro, W. R., Selker, R. G., Fine, H. A., Black, P. M., Pittman, G. S., Bell, D. A.
(2003). Genetic Polymorphisms in GSTM1, -P1, -T1, and CYP2E1 and the Risk of Adult Brain Tumors. Cancer Epidemiol. Biomarkers Prev.
12: 14-22
[Abstract][Full Text]
Wrensch, M., Minn, Y., Chew, T., Bondy, M., Berger, M. S.
(2002). Epidemiology of primary brain tumors: Current concepts and review of the literature. Neuro Oncol
4: 278-299
[Abstract]
Groves, F. D., Page, W. F., Gridley, G., Lisimaque, L., Stewart, P. A., Tarone, R. E., Gail, M. H., Boice, J. D. Jr, Beebe, G. W.
(2002). Cancer in Korean War Navy Technicians: Mortality Survey after 40 Years. Am J Epidemiol
155: 810-818
[Abstract][Full Text]
Muscat, J. E., Malkin, M. G., Shore, R. E., Thompson, S., Neugut, A. I., Stellman, S. D., Bruce, J.
(2002). Handheld cellular telephones and risk of acoustic neuroma. Neurology
58: 1304-1306
[Abstract][Full Text]
Takahashi, S., Inaguma, S., Cho, Y.-M., Imaida, K., Wang, J., Fujiwara, O., Shirai, T.
(2002). Lack of Mutation Induction with Exposure to 1.5 GHz Electromagnetic Near Fields Used for Cellular Phones in Brains of Big Blue Mice. Cancer Res.
62: 1956-1960
[Abstract][Full Text]
Johansen, C., Boice, J. D. Jr., McLaughlin, J. K., Olsen, J. H.
(2001). Response: Cellular Telephones and Cancer--a Nationwide Cohort Study in Denmark. JNCI J Natl Cancer Inst
93: 878a-879a
[Full Text]
Lubin, E., Sullivan, P. R., DeAngelis, L. M.
(2001). Brain Tumors. NEJM
344: 1478-1479
[Full Text]
Erman, M., Celik, I., Kars, A., Kundi, M., Kane, R. C., Inskip, P. D., Tarone, R. E., Linet, M. S.
(2001). Cellular Telephones and Brain Tumors. NEJM
344: 1331-1332
[Full Text]
Kane, R. C., Hardell, L., Mild, K. H., Zimmerman, S. M., Zimmerman, R. W., Muscat, J. E., Stellman, S. D., Malkin, M. G., Thompson, S., Shore, R. E., Neugut, A. I.
(2001). Handheld Cellular Telephones and Brain Cancer Risk. JAMA
285: 1838-1839
[Full Text]
(2001). Cell Phone Use Not Associated with Brain Cancer. JWatch Psychiatry
2001: 14-14
[Full Text]
(2001). Cell Phone Use Not Associated with Brain Cancer. JWatch Gastroenterology
2001: 15-15
[Full Text]
Frumkin, H., Jacobson, A., Gansler, T., Thun, M. J.
(2001). Cellular Phones and Risk of Brain Tumors. CA Cancer J Clin
51: 137-141
[Full Text]
(2001). Cell Phone Use and Risk for Brain Cancer. JWatch Neurology
2001: 5-5
[Full Text]
Park, R. L.
(2001). Cellular Telephones and Cancer: How Should Science Respond?. JNCI J Natl Cancer Inst
93: 166-167
[Full Text]
Johansen, C., Boice, J. D. Jr., McLaughlin, J. K., Olsen, J. H.
(2001). Cellular Telephones and Cancer--a Nationwide Cohort Study in Denmark. JNCI J Natl Cancer Inst
93: 203-207
[Abstract][Full Text]
Gellin, B. G., Schaffner, W.
(2001). The Risk of Vaccination -- The Importance of "Negative" Studies. NEJM
344: 372-373
[Full Text]
(2001). Cell Phone Use Not Associated with Brain Cancer. JWatch General
2001: 4-4
[Full Text]
DeAngelis, L. M.
(2001). Brain Tumors. NEJM
344: 114-123
[Full Text]
Trichopoulos, D., Adami, H.-O.
(2001). Cellular Telephones and Brain Tumors. NEJM
344: 133-134
[Full Text]
