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Epidemiological Study (case-control study)

Mobile phone use and risk of glioma in adults: case-control study. epidemiol.

By: Hepworth SJ, Schoemaker MJ, Muir KR, Swerdlow AJ, van Tongeren M, McKinney PA
Published in: BMJ 2006; 332 (7546): 883 - 887 ( open external web page

full article, open external web page

PubMed Entry , open external web page

Journal web site )

Aim of study (according to author)
This population-based case-control study was conducted in five areas of the United Kingdom to investigate the risk of glioma in adults in relation to mobile phone use. The study is part of the INTERPHONE project.
Background/further details:
Regular mobile phone use was defined as use for at least six months in the period more than a year before diagnosis.

Endpoint/type of risk estimation

brain tumor: glioma

Estimate of incidence by odds ratio (OR)

Exposure

analog mobile phone, digital mobile phone
type of exposure: personal
assessment by interview (models of mobile phone, network operator, start and stop year, number and duration of calls made and received)
assessment by calculation (cumulative hours and numbers of use)

groups of exposure:

Reference group 1:	never use or less than six months one year before diagnosis
group 2:	regular use
group 3:	years since first use: 1.5 - 4
group 4:	years since first use: 5 - 9
group 5:	years since first use: ≥ 10
group 6:	lifetime years of use: 0.5 - 4
group 7:	lifetime years of use: 5 - 9
group 8:	lifetime years of use: ≥ 10
group 9:	cumulative hours of use: ≤ 99
group 10:	cumulative hours of use: 99 - ≤ 544
group 11:	cumulative hours of use: > 544
group 12:	cumulative number of calls: ≤ 2071
group 13:	cumulative number of calls: 2071 - ≤ 6909
group 14:	cumulative number of calls: > 6909
group 15:	cumulative hours of use ≥ 10 years ago: 0
group 16:	cumulative hours of use ≥ 10 years ago: ≤ 113
group 17:	cumulative hours of use ≥ 10 years ago: > 113
group 18:	proportion urban/rural at first use: mainly urban
group 19:	proportion urban/rural at first use: mainly rural
group 20:	proportion urban/rural at first use: both
group 21:	frequency of use in those with high grade tumors: non-regular
group 22:	frequency of use in those with high grade tumors: regular
group 23:	frequency of use in those with low grade tumors: non-regular
group 24:	frequency of use in those with low grade tumors: regular
group 25:	frequency of ipsilateral use: never/non-regular
group 26:	frequency of ipsilateral use: regular
group 27:	frequency of contralateral use: never/non-regular
group 28:	frequency of contralateral use: regular

Population

case group
men and women, aged from 18 to 69 years
diagnosis: glioma
observation period: December 2000 - June 2003, partly until February 2004
study location: UK (5 regions)
source of data: hospital departments, cancer registry
control group
selection: population-based
matching: sex, age, area

Study size	cases	controls
number participating	966	1716
rate of participating	51%	45%

Statistically significant results

group	exposure	endpoint	cases	controls	parameter (OR)	confidence interval
26	frequency of ipsilateral use: regular	glioma	278	486	1.2	1.02-1.52

Statistical analysis using unconditional logistic regression (adjusted for 5-year age group, sex, residential area, deprivation, combinations of interview year and lag time)

Results/conclusion (according to author)
There was no relation for risk of glioma and use of mobile phone. An increased risk for tumour ipsilateral to side of phone use and a reduced risk for contralateral use was found which might be due to recall bias.

Limitations (according to author): The observation period was only 10 years.

(Study character: epidemiological study, case-control study)

Study funded by

Department of Health, UK
Health and Safety Executive, UK
Scottish Executive/Scottish Ministers, UK
International Union against Cancer (UICC; Union Internationale Contre le Cancer), Switzerland
Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research (MTHR), UK
3
O2
Orange
T-Mobile
Vodafone

Published comments on this article:

INTERPHONE Study Group et al. (2010): Brain tumour risk in relation to mobile telephone use: results of the...
Hardell L et al. (2009): Epidemiological evidence for an association between use of wireless phones and...
Takebayashi T et al. (2008): Mobile phone use, exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic field, and brain...
Hardell L et al. (2008): Meta-analysis of long-term mobile phone use and the association with brain...
Lahkola A et al. (2008): Meningioma and mobile phone use--a collaborative case-control study in five...
Kan P et al. (2008): Cellular phone use and brain tumor: a meta-analysis.
Klaeboe L et al. (2007): Use of mobile phones in Norway and risk of intracranial tumours.
Lahkola A et al. (2007): Mobile phone use and risk of glioma in 5 North European countries.
Blettner M et al. (2007): Handy und Gehirntumor - Einzelne Ergebnisse werden aus dem Zusammenhang...
Schüz J et al. (2006): Cellular phones, cordless phones, and the risks of glioma and meningioma...
Schüz J et al. (2006): Cellular telephone use and cancer risk: update of a nationwide Danish cohort.
Takebayashi T et al. (2006): Mobile phone use and acoustic neuroma risk in Japan.
Lönn S et al. (2006): Mobile phone use and risk of parotid gland tumor.
Christensen HC et al. (2005): Cellular telephones and risk for brain tumors: a population-based, incident...
Hardell L et al. (2005): Use of cellular telephones and brain tumour risk in urban and rural areas.
Hardell L et al. (2004): Cellular and cordless telephone use and the association with brain tumors in...
Lönn S et al. (2004): Mobile Phone Use and the Risk of Acoustic Neuroma.
Ali Kahn A et al. (2003): The anatomical distribution of cerebral gliomas in mobile phone users.
Hardell L et al. (2003): Further aspects on cellular and cordless telephones and brain tumours.
Auvinen A et al. (2002): Brain tumors and salivary gland cancers among cellular telephone users.
Hardell L et al. (2002): Cellular and cordless telephones and the risk for brain tumours.
Hardell L et al. (2002): Case-control study on the use of cellular and cordless phones and the risk for...
Inskip PD et al. (2001): Cellular-telephone use and brain tumors.
Muscat JE et al. (2000): Handheld cellular telephone use and risk of brain cancer.

Glossary: adults, analog, brain tumor, cancer registry, case-control study, confidence interval, contralateral, cumulative, diagnosis, digital, endpoint, epidemiological, exposure, frequency, glioma, incidence, Interphone project, ipsilateral, matching, mobile phone, OR, population-based, recall bias, risk, statistical, tumour, unconditional logistic regression

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