Epidemiological Study (cohort study)

Use of mobile phones and risk of brain tumours: update of Danish cohort study. epidemiol.

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Aim of study (according to author)
A follow-up of a nationwide cohort was performed to investigate the risk of brain tumors among Danish mobile telephone subscribers from 1990 through 2007.
Background/further details:
Further results of this Danish cohort study are published in Johansen et al (2001), Schüz et al (2006), and Schüz et al (2011).
To obtain information on highest attained education and disposable income, the data were linked to a cohort study on social inequality and cancer.

Endpoints/type of risk estimation

• brain tumor: glioma, meningioma, other/unspecified brain tumor
• cancers related to smoking
• all cancer

Exposure

• mobile phone
• assessment by list (mobile phone subscribers of two Danish network operators 1987 - 1995)

Population
Study group: men and women, aged over 30 years
Group characteristics: Danes born after 1925 in Denmark
Observation period: 1990 - 2007
Study location: Denmark
Source of data: Danish Cancer Registry
Exclusion criteria: corporate customers, no permanent residence in Denmark

Study size	cohort
number total	358,403

Statistical analysis using Poisson regression model (adjusted for age, education, calendar period, disposable income)

Results/conclusion (according to author)
No overall increased risk of brain tumors or for all cancers combined associated with use of mobile phones was observed. No dose-response relation was found with regard to years of subscription or to the anatomical site of the glioma.
The authors concluded that in this update of a large nationwide cohort study of mobile phone use, there was no increased risk of brain tumors, providing little evidence for a causal association.

Limitations (according to author): The authors noted that a limitation of the study is potential misclassification of exposure. No information on the actual amount of mobile phone use was available.

(Study character: epidemiological study, cohort study)

Study funded by

• Danish Graduate School Network in Public Health Science (GRASPH), Denmark
• Danish Strategic Research Council, Denmark
• Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF)

• by  Ahlbom A, Feychting M
• by  Philips A, Lamburn G
• by  Khurana VG
• by  Frei P, Poulsen AH, Johansen C, Olsen JH, Steding-Jessen M, Schüz J
• by  Söderqvist F, Carlberg M, Hardell L

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