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Mobile phones, cordless phones and rates of brain tumors in different age groups in the Swedish National Inpatient Register and the Swedish Cancer Register during 1998-2015.

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Hardell L, Carlberg M. · 2017

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Brain tumor rates in Sweden increased 4.24% annually after 2007, with the highest increases in young adults during peak smartphone adoption.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Swedish researchers analyzed brain tumor rates from 1998-2015 using two national health databases and found a concerning pattern: brain tumor rates increased by 2.06% annually overall, with the steepest increase of 4.24% per year after 2007. The 20-39 age group showed the highest increases, coinciding with widespread mobile phone adoption, and the researchers discovered that many brain tumors are likely being underreported to cancer registries.

Why This Matters

This study reveals a troubling blind spot in how we track brain cancer trends. The science demonstrates that official cancer registries may be missing a significant number of brain tumor cases, meaning the real incidence could be substantially higher than reported statistics suggest. What makes this particularly concerning is the timing: the steepest increases occurred after 2007, precisely when smartphone use exploded globally. The reality is that younger adults (ages 20-39) showed the highest rate increases, which aligns with this demographic's heaviest phone use patterns. While the researchers couldn't establish direct causation, they specifically noted that wireless phone use should be considered when evaluating these trends. This research underscores why we can't rely solely on cancer registry data to assess EMF health risks and highlights the urgent need for better tracking systems as wireless technology continues to proliferate.

Exposure Information

Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study.

Study Details

The aim of this study is to investigate Mobile phones, cordless phones and rates of brain tumors in different age groups in the Swedish National Inpatient Register and the Swedish Cancer Register during 1998-2015.

We used the Swedish Inpatient Register (IPR) to analyze rates of brain tumors of unknown type (D43) ...

Average Annual Percentage Change (AAPC) per 100,000 increased with +2.06%, 95% confidence interval (...

The results indicate underreporting of brain tumor cases to the Cancer Register. The real incidence would be higher. Thus, incidence trends based on the Cancer Register should be used with caution. Use of wireless phones should be considered in relation to the change of incidence rates.

Cite This Study
Hardell L, Carlberg M. (2017). Mobile phones, cordless phones and rates of brain tumors in different age groups in the Swedish National Inpatient Register and the Swedish Cancer Register during 1998-2015. PLoS One. 12(10):e0185461, 2017.
Show BibTeX
@article{l_2017_mobile_phones_cordless_phones_2181,
  author = {Hardell L and Carlberg M.},
  title = {Mobile phones, cordless phones and rates of brain tumors in different age groups in the Swedish National Inpatient Register and the Swedish Cancer Register during 1998-2015.},
  year = {2017},
  
  url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28976991/},
}
PubMed: 28976991

Cited By (40 papers)

Quick Questions About This Study

Yes, Swedish national health data shows brain tumor rates increased dramatically after 2007, jumping from 0.16% annually before 2007 to 4.24% per year from 2007-2015. This acceleration coincides with widespread mobile phone adoption in Sweden.
Yes, the 2017 Hardell study found significant underreporting of brain tumors to Sweden's Cancer Register. Many tumors diagnosed through CT or MRI scans aren't being reported, meaning actual brain tumor rates are likely higher than official statistics show.
Young adults aged 20-39 show the steepest brain tumor rate increases in Sweden's national data from 1998-2015. This age group had the highest average annual percentage change, coinciding with early mobile phone adoption patterns.
Swedish brain tumor rates increased by 2.06% annually overall from 1998-2015, with men showing 0.49% yearly increases and women 0.33% yearly increases in the Cancer Register. Hospital records showed even higher increases than cancer registry data.
Yes, the Swedish researchers specifically concluded that wireless phone use should be considered when examining brain tumor incidence changes. The timing of increased tumor rates after 2007 aligns with widespread mobile phone adoption in the population.