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Cancer & Tumors

Use of wireless phones and the risk of salivary gland tumours: a case-control study.

No Effects Found

Söderqvist F, Carlberg M, Hardell L · 2012

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No increased salivary gland tumor risk found from light wireless phone use, but heavy long-term users remain unstudied.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Swedish researchers studied 69 people with salivary gland tumors (mostly near the ear) and compared their phone use to 262 healthy controls. They found no increased risk of these tumors from wireless phone use, with an odds ratio of 0.8 (meaning slightly lower risk, though not statistically significant). The study provides reassurance for light-to-moderate phone users but acknowledges it cannot rule out risks from heavy, long-term use.

Study Details

The last decades of increasing use of wireless phones, including mobile as well as cordless desktop phones, have led to concerns about the potential carcinogenic effects of radiofrequency electromagnetic fields. Among the most exposed areas of the body when the phone is used for talking are the salivary glands, mainly the parotid gland, located in front of the ear. The objective of this case-control study was to assess whether the use of wireless phones is associated with an increased risk of tumour at this site.

Sixty-nine patients with salivary gland tumours (63 with a parotid gland tumour) and 262 randomly re...

Neither was there an increased risk for the different phone types when calculated separately nor was...

In conclusion, our data add to the evidence against there being an increased risk for parotid gland tumours associated with light-to-moderate use of wireless phones and for less than 10 years of use but offers little information on risk related to more prolonged and/or heavy use.

Cite This Study
Söderqvist F, Carlberg M, Hardell L (2012). Use of wireless phones and the risk of salivary gland tumours: a case-control study. Eur J Cancer Prev.21(6):576-579, 2012.
Show BibTeX
@article{f_2012_use_of_wireless_phones_3407,
  author = {Söderqvist F and Carlberg M and Hardell L},
  title = {Use of wireless phones and the risk of salivary gland tumours: a case-control study.},
  year = {2012},
  
  url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22433632/},
}
PubMed: 22433632

Cited By (26 papers)

Quick Questions About This Study

Swedish researchers found no increased risk of salivary gland tumors from wireless phone use. Their 2012 study compared 69 tumor patients with 262 healthy controls and found an odds ratio of 0.8, indicating slightly lower risk though not statistically significant.
A 2012 Swedish case-control study found no association between wireless phone use and parotid gland tumors. Researchers studied different phone types, usage durations, and cumulative hours without finding increased tumor risk in any category.
The 2012 Swedish study provides reassurance for light-to-moderate phone users but acknowledges it cannot rule out risks from heavy, long-term use. The study had limited data on prolonged or intensive wireless phone usage patterns.
Swedish researchers found no increased salivary gland tumor risk regardless of phone usage duration. They tested different latency periods and divided cumulative use into three groups (1-1000, 1001-2000, and over 2000 hours) without finding significant associations.
A 2012 Swedish study of 69 salivary gland tumor patients (mostly located near the ear) found no link to wireless phone use. Comparing with 262 healthy controls, researchers detected no increased tumor risk from phone radiation exposure.