Study type: Epidemiological study (observational study)

Location of Gliomas in Relation to Mobile Telephone Use: A Case-Case and Case-Specular Analysis epidem.

Published in: Am J Epidemiol 2011; 174 (1): 2-11

Aim of study (acc. to author)

The aim of the current analysis was to investigate whether gliomas among mobile phone users are located closer to the presumed position of the mobile phone handset (the source of the radiofrequency field) than gliomas among nonusers.

Further details

The analysis was based on data from 7 European study centers (Denmark, Finland, Germany, Italy, Norway, Sweden, and Southeast England) within the Interphone Study.
Two types of analyses were used to evaluate the anatomic distribution of gliomas within the brain in relation to mobile phone use. The main exposure indicator in the analyses was the shortest estimated distance from the midpoint of the glioma to the presumed position of the mobile phone handset. The case-case analysis was based on comparing exposed and unexposed cases using the distance of ≤ 5 cm versus > 5 cm. A case-specular analysis contrasted the actual location of the case with a hypothetical (specular) location assigned for each case as a mirror image on the opposite side of the same hemisphere.
Regular use of a mobile phone was defined as at least once a week for at least six months.

Endpoint/type of risk estimation

Exposure

Assessment

Exposure groups

Group Description
Reference group 1 never regular use
Group 2 regular use
Group 3 cumulative call time: 0.001 - 46 hours
Group 4 cumulative call time: 47 - 399 hours
Group 5 cumulative call time: > 399 hours
Group 6 duration of use: 1.5 - 4 years
Group 7 duration of use: 5 - 9 years
Group 8 duration of use: ≥ 10 years
Group 9 laterality: ipsilateral
Group 10 laterality: contralateral
Group 11 speculars: ipsilateral
Group 12 speculars: contralateral

Population

Study size

Type Value
Eligible 912
Statistical analysis method: (adjustment: )

Results (acc. to author)

In the case-case analysis, gliomas were located closest to the source of exposure among never-regular and contralateral mobile phone users, but not statistically significantly. In the case-specular analysis, the mean distances between exposure source and glioma location were similar for cases and speculars.
The authors conclude that these results do not suggest that gliomas in mobile phone users are preferentially located in the parts of the brain with the highest radio-frequency fields from mobile phones.

Study funded by

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