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Children and Adolescent Cell
Phone Users at
No Greater Risk of Brain Cancer Than
Non-Users, Study Suggests
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ScienceDaily (July 28, 2011)
Children and adolescents who use mobile phones are not at a
statistically significant increased risk of brain cancer
compared to their peers who do not use mobile phones,
according to a study published July 27 in the Journal of The
National Cancer Institute.
Mobile phone usage has increased among children and
adolescents in recent years. The increased usage has raised
a concern about the possibility of the development of brain
tumors in this population since children have a developing
nervous system; also, because their head circumference is
smaller, the radio frequency electromagnetic fields may
penetrate regions that are deeper in their brains. However,
no previous study has examined whether mobile phone usage
among children and adolescents is associated with a
difference in brain tumor risk.
To determine the relationship between mobile phone usage and
brain tumor risk among children and adolescents, Martin
Röösli, Ph.D, of the Swiss Tropical and Public Health
Institute in Basel, Switzerland, and colleagues looked at
the medical records of children aged 7-19 with brain tumors,
identified through population registries. Researchers did
face-to-face interviews with them regarding their mobile
phone usage. They also consulted data from phone network
providers.
The study, conducted between 2004 and 2008, included
participants from Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Switzerland.
They looked at data for 352 brain cancer patients, and 646
control subjects.
The researchers found that patients with brain tumors were
not statistically significantly more likely to have been
regular mobile phone users than control subjects. They found
that 265 (75.3%) of case patients and 466 control subjects
(72.1%) reported having spoken on a mobile phone more than
20 times before the time when the case patient was
diagnosed. Furthermore, 194 case patients (55%) and 329
control subjects (51%) reported regular mobile phone usage.
However, in a subset of study participants for whom operator
recorded data were available, brain tumor risk was related
to the time elapsed since the mobile phone subscription was
started (but not to amount of use). No increased risk of
brain tumors was observed for brain areas receiving the
highest amount of exposure.
The researchers write, "Because we did not find a clear
exposure-response relationship in most of these analyses,
the available evidence does not support a causal association
between the use of mobile phones and brain tumors."
Nevertheless, since mobile phone usage among children and
adolescents has increased over the years, they encourage a
careful watch on the trend.
In an accompanying editorial, John D Boice, Jr., ScD. and
Robert E. Tarone, PhD., of the International Epidemiology
Institute in Rockville, Maryland and Vanderbilt University
in Nashville, Tennessee write that Röösli and his colleagues
"have filled an important gap in knowledge by showing no
increased risk of brain tumors among children and
adolescents who are regular cell phone users"
Boice and Tarone conclude that it is reassuring that the
incidence rates of brain cancer in the general population,
including children and teenagers, have not changed over the
past 20 years in the United States and many other countries
despite the steady and marked rise in the use of cell phones
throughout the world since the 1980s. They recommend that
investigators continue to monitor population incidence rates
and that in the meantime, individuals who are concerned
might consider alternatives to holding a cell phone up to
their ears, such as using an ear piece or using the phone's
speaker. They also point out that individuals should heed
what is known about real risks by avoiding the use of cell
phones while driving a car, because such distractions have
been clearly documented to increase the risk of accidents
and injuries.
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