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Note: This study found no significant biological effects under its experimental conditions. We include all studies for scientific completeness.

Cancer & Tumors

The anatomical distribution of cerebral gliomas in mobile phone users.

No Effects Found

Kahn AA, O'Brien DF, Kelly P, Phillips JP, Rawluk D, Bolger C, Pidgeon CN. · 2003

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Brain tumors in mobile phone users showed no pattern of occurring on the side where phones are typically held.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Irish researchers studied 73 brain tumor patients to see if mobile phone users developed tumors on the same side of their head where they held their phone. They compared 50 mobile phone users with 23 non-users and found no pattern linking phone use to tumor location. This suggests that if mobile phones cause brain tumors, the effect isn't simply related to which side of the head receives the most radiation exposure.

Why This Matters

This study represents an early attempt to examine whether mobile phone radiation creates localized brain tumor risk. The logic was sound: if phones cause tumors through direct radiation exposure, you'd expect to see more tumors on the side where people hold their phones. The fact that researchers found no such pattern doesn't definitively rule out a mobile phone-brain tumor connection, but it does suggest the relationship isn't as straightforward as direct localized heating effects. What this means for you is that brain tumor risk from mobile phones, if it exists, likely involves more complex biological mechanisms than simple thermal damage at the point of contact. The study's small size (73 patients total) and early timeframe (2003, when phone use was less intensive) limit its conclusions, but it adds to our understanding of how EMF exposure might affect the brain.

Exposure Information

Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study. Duration: 12 months

Study Details

We analysed the association between mobile phone use and the anatomical distribution of glial brain tumours in Irish neurosurgical patients.

All patients with unilateral histologically proven glioma were enrolled over a 12 month period. We h...

Fifty mobile phone users and twenty three non-users were identified. The vast majority of patients (...

Cite This Study
Kahn AA, O'Brien DF, Kelly P, Phillips JP, Rawluk D, Bolger C, Pidgeon CN. (2003). The anatomical distribution of cerebral gliomas in mobile phone users. Ir Med J. 96(8):240-242, 2003.
Show BibTeX
@article{aa_2003_the_anatomical_distribution_of_3126,
  author = {Kahn AA and O'Brien DF and Kelly P and Phillips JP and Rawluk D and Bolger C and Pidgeon CN.},
  title = {The anatomical distribution of cerebral gliomas in mobile phone users.},
  year = {2003},
  
  url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14653376/},
}
PubMed: 14653376

Cited By (11 papers)

Quick Questions About This Study

No, a 2003 Irish study of 73 brain tumor patients found no pattern linking mobile phone use to tumor location. Among 50 phone users, tumors didn't consistently develop on the side of the head where they held their device, suggesting radiation proximity isn't the primary factor.
No, the study found no statistical significance between handedness and tumor location in mobile phone users. Despite 69 of 73 patients being right-handed and 48 tumors occurring on the right side, researchers found no connection between phone-holding patterns and glioma development.
Irish researchers studied 73 brain tumor patients, comparing 50 mobile phone users with 23 non-users. This 2003 study examined whether phone users developed gliomas on the same side of their head where they typically held their device during calls.
This study suggests not through simple proximity effects. Researchers found no pattern linking tumor location to the side of the head receiving the most phone radiation, indicating that if phones cause brain tumors, the mechanism isn't straightforward radiation exposure to nearby tissue.
Fisher's exact test showed no statistical significance for glioma location based on handedness in mobile phone users or tumor location differences between users and non-users. This statistical analysis ruled out simple proximity-based relationships between phone use and brain tumor development.