Long-term Mobile Phone Use and Acoustic Neuroma Risk

Authored By:

Pettersson D, Mathiesen T, Prochazka M, Bergenheim T, Florentzson R, Harder H, Nyberg G, Siesjö P, Feychting M

Summary:

This epidemiological case-control study investigated whether mobile phone use is associated with acoustic neuroma. The study compared the mobile phone use between 451 people diagnosed with acoustic neuroma between 2002 and 2007 (the cases) and 710 people without the disease (the controls). There was no statistically significant association between using a mobile phone regularly (defined as using a phone at least once a week for at least 6 months) and acoustic neuroma (odds ratio, OR, of 1.18; 95% confidence interval, CI, 0.88-1.59). The association was weaker when using a mobile phone for more than 10 years (1.11 [0.76-1.61]) and for using the phone on the same side as the tumour (0.98 [0.68-1.43]). There was a higher but not statistically significant association when using a mobile phone more than 680 hours (1.46 [0.98-2.17]). The authors reported similar results for cordless phone use. They conclude that the findings do not support the hypothesis that long-term mobile phone use increases the risk of acoustic neuroma.

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Commentary by ARPANSA:

There have been several previous epidemiological studies that have investigated whether using a mobile phone is associated with acoustic neuroma. The INTERPHONE study is a series of case-control studies conducted in 13 different countries (including Australia) investigating possible associations between using a mobile phone and different cancers of the head and neck. A pooled analysis of the INTERPHONE studies for acoustic neuroma (presented in the August 2011 report) showed no overall association with mobile phone use. There were suggestions of an association in the group representing individuals with the highest cumulative call time. The authors note that limitations of the methodology prevent conclusions of causality being drawn from these observations.

In May 2011 the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) assessed the possible carcinogenicity (ability to produce or promote cancer) of radiofrequency (RF) electromagnetic fields (presented in the June 2011 report). Based primarily on the epidemiological studies of glioma and acoustic neuroma IARC classified RF EMF as a Group 2B carcinogen - “ possibly carcinogenic to humans ”.

The classification by IARC does not provide estimates of what risk of cancer might by posed by any given level of exposure to RF fields if the risk is true. An assessment of this and other possible health effects will be undertaken by the World Health Organization in 2014.