Study type: Epidemiological study (observational study)

Mobile phone use and brain tumours in the CERENAT case-control study epidem.

Published in: Occup Environ Med 2014; 71 (7): 514-522

Aim of study (acc. to author)

A case-control study was conducted in France to study the association between brain tumors and mobile phone use.

Further details

CERENAT is a multicenter population-based case-control study initiated in 2004 and designed to study the role of environmental and occupational factors in the occurrence of primary central nervous system (CNS) tumors in adults in France.
Regular mobile phone use is defined as mobile phone use more than once a week for 6 month or more.

Endpoint/type of risk estimation

Type of risk estimation: (odds ratio (OR))

Exposure

Assessment

Exposure groups

Group Description
Reference group 1 regular mobile phone use: no
Group 2 regular mobile phone use: yes
Group 3 time since first use: no regular use
Group 4 time since first use: 1 - 4 years
Group 5 time since first use: 5 - 9 years
Group 6 time since first use: ≥10 years
Reference group 7 average calling time: no regular use
Group 8 average calling time: < 2 hours/month
Group 9 average calling time: 2 - 4 hours/month
Group 10 average calling time: 5 - 14 hours/month
Group 11 average calling time: ≥ 15 hours/month
Reference group 12 cumulative duration of calls: no regular use
Group 13 cumulative duration of calls: < 43 hours
Group 14 cumulative duration of calls: 43 - 112 hours
Group 15 cumulative duration of calls: 113 - 338 hours
Group 16 cumulative duration of calls: 339 - 895 hours
Group 17 cumulative duration of calls: ≥ 896 hours
Reference group 18 cumulative number of calls: no regular use
Group 19 cumulative number of calls: < 660
Group 20 cumulative number of calls: 660 - 2219
Group 21 cumulative number of calls: 2220 - 7349
Group 22 cumulative number of calls: 7350 - 18359
Group 23 cumulative number of calls: ≥ 18360

Population

Case group

Control group

Study size

Cases Controls
Participants 596 1,192
Participation rate 73 % 45 %
Evaluable 447 892
Other:

253 patients with glioma and 194 patients with meningioma

Statistical analysis method: (adjustment: )

Results (acc. to author)

No association between brain tumors and mobile phone use was found when comparing regular mobile phone users with non-users (OR 1.24, CI 0.86-1.77 for gliomas; OR 0.90, CI 0.61-1.34 for meningiomas). However, the positive association was statistically significant in the heaviest users when considering life-long cumulative duration (≥ 896 h, OR 2.89; CI 1.41-5.93 for gliomas; OR 2.57; CI 1.02-6.44 for meningiomas) and number of calls for gliomas (≥ 18,360 calls, OR 2.10, CI 1.03-4.31). Among heavy mobile phone users (≥ 896 h) increased risks were observed for gliomas (OR 2.89, CI 1.41-5.93), temporal tumors (OR 3,94, CI 0.81-19.08), occupational use (OR 3.27, CI 1.45-7.35) and urban mobile phone use (OR 8.20, CI 1.37-49.07).
The authors conclude that the results of the present study support previous findings concerning a possible association between heavy mobile phone use and brain tumors.

Study funded by

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