Original:

The Correlation Between Phone Use and Brain Tumor Incidence

Abstract

There are conflicting beliefs as to whether or not increased phone use is linked to increased chances of developing a brain tumor. Phones, while they don’t emit ionizing-radiation (NIH 2018), they do emit other types of radiation that many are scared of. Research has been done with evidence both for and against there being a correlation between phone use and brain tumor incidence. Because the experimental studies performed, as well as the one long-term survey, showed no correlation between phone use and brain tumor incidence, it can be concluded that there really is no correlation between the two. The one long term study showing a correlation between the two can be seen has having been the result of confounding, as there can be no other explanation as to why the results would go against all the experimental data.

Introduction

The relationship between phone use and the growth of brain tumors is one that is unclear. Phones emit high frequency electromagnetic fields that may or may not affect tumor growth and function (NIH 2018). While it is proven that ionizing radiation does cause cancer, phones don’t emit this type of radiation (Gilbert 2009).  With anecdotal evidence of people sleeping with their phones under their pillow getting brain cancer and some studies on bluetooth causing cancer, finding the truth about whether or not phones really cause brain cancer is even more important, and studies have been conducted to determine the correlation.

Experimental-Evidence of Short Term Effects

The majority of the experimental evidence points towards there being no correlation at all between phone use and brain tumor incidence. One study on the emission of 3g waves from phones and how they affect both regular cells and tumor cells (Liu et. al 2015).  There were four groups used, a control group, and three experimental groups exposed to the 3G waves for 12, 24, and 48 hours. After the data were recorded, it was seen that there was no difference between the control group and the experimental groups with regards to tumor growth rate or apoptosis. Furthermore, cells were uncompromised even after exposure for 48 hours. There was also no difference in the morphology of the cells in any group, meaning no structural changes were induced. Another factor uninfluenced was rate of the cells becoming malignant. From this study, it is clear that 3g rays emitted from cell phones don’t affect cells and whether or not they mutate into cancer cells.

Long-Term Effects Studied Experimentally

Other studies focused on a longer time period. Lönn et. all (2005) found all cases of two types of cancer that occured in Sweden between 2000 and 2002, a total of 644. The researchers then randomly selected 674 controls to eliminate any confounding that could occur, and the results were tabulated. The results of the study showed that even with ten years of phone use, there was no increased risk of being diagnosed with tumors located in the temporal and parietal lobes. Furthermore, the chances of developing tumors didn’t increase with phone use, no matter how long the phones were used and what types of phones were used.

Short-Term Surveyed Study

The researchers of another study took a novel approach to measure the amount of EMF radiation absorbed by brain tumor patients . After administering surveys to brain tumor patients in Japan, they used information such as which side of the head patients hold their phone to while talking on the phone and how many hours in one year since the diagnosis of the tumor have members of the study spent talking on the phone to approximate how much radiation could have been absorbed by cells where the tumor is located. They took into account how far away cells would be from the phone when looking three dimensionally. The researchers concluded that mobile phone use does not add to the risk of one developing a brain tumor. Furthermore, they found no correlation between how much one uses their phone and the risk of developing a brain tumor.

Long-Term Statistical Study

The study used information gathered from the “Statistical Report: Primary Brain Tumors in the United States” and data collected on phone subscriptions in the United States during the year 2007. The researches performed multiple linear regressions, plotting cell phone subscriptions, family income, age, and population against the incidence of brain tumors. The results of the linear regression showed a very high correlation between the number of cell phone subscriptions and the number of brain tumors (r = 0.95) . All of the other factors plotted showed no relationship with brain tumor incidence. The results found can be seen as somewhat troubling, as even though potential confounding variables are controlled, there is still a link between the number of cell phones used in an area and the number of brain tumors. It is still possible that there are other lurking variables really causing the increase in brain tumors, so further studies are needed.

What to Believe

With the conflicting evidence that for the individual, phones don’t cause an increase in brain tumor risk, however as a society, increased phone use is linked to higher rates of brain cancer, it is confusing what to believe.

Final Version:

The Correlation Between Phone Use and Brain Tumor Incidence

Abstract

There are conflicting beliefs as to whether or not increased phone use is linked to increased chances of developing a brain tumor. Phones, while they don’t emit ionizing-radiation, do emit other types of radiation that many are scared of. Research has been done with evidence both for and against there being a correlation between phone use and brain tumor incidence. Because experimental studies and statistical research have shown no correlation between phone use and brain tumor incidence, it can be concluded that there is no correlation between the two. The one long term study showing a correlation between the two is most likely the result of confounding, as there is evidence that none of the radiation that phones emit can be linked to an increase in the risk of contracting a brain tumor. Further research and effort is needed to find even more conclusive data and educate people worldwide.

Introduction

The relationship between phone use and the growth of brain tumors is one that is unclear. Phones emit high frequency electromagnetic fields that may or may not affect tumor growth and function (NIH 2018). While it is proven that ionizing radiation does cause cancer, phones don’t emit this type of radiation (Gilbert 2009).  With anecdotal evidence of people sleeping with their phones under their pillow getting brain cancer and some studies on radio wave frequency radiation in bluetooth causing cell death (Sagioglou et. al 2014), finding the truth about whether or not phones really cause brain cancer is even more important, and studies have been conducted to determine the correlation.

Importance

Brain tumors are abnormal masses of cells that grow in the brain. They occur when mutations occur in the DNA of brain cells, causing them to grow and divide at rapid rates (Mayo Clinic 2019). According to the American Society of Clinical Oncology, approximately 700,000 people in the US suffer from brain cancer, and only 35% of those with brain cancers survive five years after diagnosis (2019). Brain tumors are the most costly cancers to treat, with a per-year cost of over $130,000 (Mariotto et al. 2011). Thus, reducing the incidence of brain cancer is important for society as a whole, and a definite answer needs to be found on the link between cell phone use and brain cancer incidence.

Experimental Research

In order to find data on whether or not cell phone use is linked to brain cancer risk, experimental studies have been performed (Liu et al. 2015 and Takebayashi et al. 2008) to test whether or not the different types of radiation emitted by cell phones can cause cancer. Overall, the majority of the experimental evidence points towards there being no correlation at all between phone use and brain tumor incidence.

One of the types of radiation emitted by cell phones is 3G waves. Studies on the emission of 3G waves from phones by Liu have shown no correlation between 3G waves and cancer (2015). It was found that that after low exposure to 3G waves, there was no difference between cancer cells exposed to 3G waves and cancer cells not exposed to 3G waves, with regards to tumor growth rate or apoptosis. Furthermore, cells were uncompromised even after exposure for 48 hours. There was also no difference in the morphology of the cells in any group, meaning no structural changes were induced. Another factor uninfluenced was rate of the cells becoming malignant. From this study, it is clear that 3G waves emitted from cell phones don’t affect cells and whether or not they mutate into cancer cells.

Another type of radiation emitted by cell phones is EMF radiation, or electromagnetic force radiation. The researchers of another study (Takebayashi et al. 2008) took a novel approach to measure the amount of EMF radiation absorbed by brain tumor patients in order to determine whether or not there is a link between the two. After administering surveys to brain tumor patients in Japan, they used information such as which side of the head patients hold their phone to while talking on the phone and how many hours in one year since the diagnosis of the tumor have members of the study spent talking on the phone to approximate how much radiation could have been absorbed by cells where the tumor is located. They took into account how far away cells would be from the phone when looking three dimensionally. The researchers concluded that mobile phone use does not add to the risk of one developing a brain tumor. Furthermore, they found no correlation between how much one uses their phone and the risk of developing a brain tumor. Taking such an approach makes the found data much stronger and confirms that EMF absorption does not lead to an increased risk of brain cancer.

Therefore, the two of the main types of radiation emitted by phones cannot be linked to causing cancer, and phones themselves cannot cause cancer.

Statistical Research

Statistical trends of brain cancer and cell phone use have also been analyzed to determine whether or not the fear that cell phones can cause brain cancer can be dismissed. The data found has been contradictory.

A study by Lönn et. al found all cases of two types of cancer that occured in Sweden between 2000 and 2002, a total of 644 (2005). The researchers then randomly selected 674 controls to eliminate any confounding that could occur, and the results were tabulated. The results of the study showed that even with ten years of phone use, there was no increased risk of being diagnosed with tumors located in the temporal and parietal lobes. Furthermore, the chances of developing tumors did not increase with phone use, no matter how long the phones were used and what types of phones were used, similar to findings by Takebayashi et al. (2008).

Conflicting data was found in a study by Lehrer et al. on brain tumor incidence in the United States (2011). Using information gathered from the “Statistical Report: Primary Brain Tumors in the United States” and data collected on phone subscriptions in the United States during the year 2007  multiple linear regressions, plotting cell phone subscriptions, family income, age, and population against the incidence of brain tumors were graphed. The results of the linear regression showed a very high correlation between the number of cell phone subscriptions and the number of brain tumors (r = 0.95) . All of the other factors plotted showed no relationship with brain tumor incidence.

The results found can be seen as somewhat troubling, as even though potential confounding variables are controlled, there is still a link between the number of cell phones used in an area and the number of brain tumors. Other studies have also found increasing rates of brain tumor incidence with no explanation other than lifestyle choices or environmental factors (Phillips et al. 2018).

How to Interpret the Findings

With the conflicting evidence that individually, phones don’t cause an increase in brain tumor risk, and societaly, increased phone use is linked to higher rates of brain cancer, it is confusing what to believe. But with the experimental research showing no link between cellphone radiation and brain tumor risk (Liu et al. 2015 and Takebayashi et al. 2008), it is impossible to develop cancer from using one’s cell phone. Global incidence of  glioblastoma multiforme, a brain cancer, has increased since 1985, twelve years after the invention of the cell phone; however, the same research (Vocht 2016) disproves a link between the increased risk and phone use, as found by Lehrer et al. (2011). Thus, it is more than likely that the real variable causing the increase in brain tumors has yet to be determined, and data suggesting that it is from cell phone use is confounded.

Conclusion

The majority of scientific evidence points towards there being no correlation between cell phone use and brain cancer risk. Experimental data from studies (Liu et al. 2015 and Takebayashi et al. 2008) and even statistical evidence (Inskip et al. 2010; Lönn et. al 2005; Vocht 2016) contradict the one study by Lehrer et al. (2011) that says that there should be caution with phone use, as there is a high correlation between the two; people should not be scared of developing brain tumors from phone use. More research is needed to find why brain tumor rates have increased, as cell phones clearly are not the cause.

References

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Lehrer S, Green S, Stock R.G. 2011. Association between number of cell phone contracts and brain tumor incidence in nineteen U.S. states. J Neuro-Oncol. [Internet] [cited 2019 Apr 15]; 101:55. Available from https://doi.org/10.1007/s11060-010-0280-z

Liu Y, Li G, Fu X, Xue J, Ji S, Zhang Z, Zhang Y, Li A. 2015. Exposure to 3G mobile phone signals does not affect the biological features of brain tumor cells. BMC Public Health. [Internet]. [cited 2019 Apr 15]; 15:764. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-015-1996-7

Lönn S, the Swedish INTERPHONE Study Group, Ahlbom A, Hall P, Feychting M. 2005. Long-term mobile phone use and brain tumor risk. Am J Epidemiol. [Internet] [cited 2019 Apr 15]; 161(6): 526–535. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/kwi091

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Philips A, Henshaw D, Lamburn G, O’Carroll M. 2018. Brain tumours: rise in Glioblastoma Multiforme incidence in England 1995–2015 suggests an adverse environmental or lifestyle factor.  J Environ Public Heal [Internet] [cited 2019 May 13]; 2018:1-10 Available from https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/7910754

Sagioglou N, Manta A, Giannarakis I, Skouroliakou A, Margaritis L. 2014. Apoptotic cell death during Drosophila oogenesis is differentially increased by electromagnetic radiation depending on modulation, intensity and duration of exposure. J Electromagnet Biol and Med [Internet] [cited 2019 May 13]; 35:40-53. Available from https://doi.org/10.3109/15368378.2014.971959

Takebayashi T, Varsier N, Kikuchi Y, Wake K, Taki M, Watanabe S, Akiba S, Yamaguchi N. 2008. Mobile phone use, exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic field, and brain tumour: a case–control study Brit J Cancer. [Internet] [cited 2019 Apr 15]; 98:652–659. Available from https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bjc.6604214

Vocht F. 2016. Inferring the 1985–2014 impact of mobile phone use on selected brain cancer subtypes using Bayesian structural time series and synthetic controls. Environ Int. [Internet] [cited 2019 May 13]; 97:100-107 Available from https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2016.10.019