Brain and Salivary Gland Tumors and Mobile Phone Use: Evaluating the Evidence from Various Epidemiological Study Designs.
Date
2019-04-01ICR Author
Author
Röösli, M
Lagorio, S
Schoemaker, MJ
Schüz, J
Feychting, M
Type
Journal Article
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Mobile phones (MPs) are the most relevant source of radiofrequency electromagnetic field (RF-EMF) exposure to the brain and the salivary gland. Whether this exposure implies a cancer risk has been addressed in several case-control and few cohort studies. A meta-analysis of these studies does not show increased risks for meningioma, pituitary, and salivary gland tumors. For glioma and acoustic neuroma, the results are heterogeneous, with few case-control studies reporting substantially increased risks. However, these elevated risks are not coherent with observed incidence time trends, which are considered informative for this specific topic owing to the steep increase in MP use, the availability of virtually complete cancer registry data from many countries, and the limited number of known competing environmental risk factors. In conclusion, epidemiological studies do not suggest increased brain or salivary gland tumor risk with MP use, although some uncertainty remains regarding long latency periods (>15 years), rare brain tumor subtypes, and MP usage during childhood.
Collections
Subject
Humans
Salivary Gland Neoplasms
Brain Neoplasms
Risk Assessment
Case-Control Studies
Epidemiologic Research Design
Electromagnetic Fields
Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Middle Aged
Female
Male
Cell Phone Use
Research team
Aetiological Epidemiology
Language
eng
Date accepted
2018-11-14
License start date
2019-04
Citation
Annual review of public health, 2019, 40 pp. 221 - 238
Publisher
ANNUAL REVIEWS