Note: This study found no significant biological effects under its experimental conditions. We include all studies for scientific completeness.
Cancer & Tumors160 citations
Acoustic neuroma risk in relation to mobile telephone use: results of the INTERPHONE international case-control study
No Effects Found
Authors not listed · 2011
Large international study found no acoustic neuroma risk from mobile phones, but data quality issues and short exposure timeframes limit conclusions.
Plain English Summary
Summary written for general audiences
This major international study examined 1,105 people with acoustic neuroma (a brain tumor) and 2,145 healthy controls across 13 countries to investigate mobile phone use and tumor risk. The researchers found no increased risk of acoustic neuroma with regular mobile phone use, even after 10+ years of use, though they noted potential data quality issues with the heaviest users.
Cite This Study
Unknown (2011). Acoustic neuroma risk in relation to mobile telephone use: results of the INTERPHONE international case-control study.
Show BibTeX
@article{acoustic_neuroma_risk_in_relation_to_mobile_telephone_use_results_of_the_interphone_international_case_control_study_ce717,
author = {Unknown},
title = {Acoustic neuroma risk in relation to mobile telephone use: results of the INTERPHONE international case-control study},
year = {2011},
doi = {10.1016/j.canep.2011.05.012},
}Quick Questions About This Study
No, the study found no increased risk but acknowledged significant limitations including data quality issues among heavy users and potentially insufficient time since mobile phone introduction to detect slow-growing tumors like acoustic neuromas.
An acoustic neuroma is a non-cancerous but potentially serious tumor that grows on the nerve connecting the ear to the brain. These tumors typically develop slowly over many years and can affect hearing and balance.
Researchers found 'implausible values' in reports from users with over 1,640 hours of cumulative call time, suggesting recall bias or reporting errors that made their data unreliable for drawing conclusions about cancer risk.
The study included participants from 13 countries, making it one of the largest international investigations into mobile phone radiation and brain tumor risk, with over 3,000 total participants across cases and controls.
Generally no - tumors weren't more likely to occur on the same side of the head where people typically held their phones, which would be expected if mobile phone radiation directly caused these specific tumors.