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Mobile phone use and glioma risk: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

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Yang M, Guo W, Yang C, Tang J, Huang Q, Feng S, Jiang A, Xu X, Jiang G. · 2017

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Ten years of cell phone use increases brain tumor risk by 44%, with highest risk on the phone-holding side of the head.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers analyzed 11 studies involving over 17,000 people to examine whether cell phone use increases brain tumor risk. They found that using a phone for 10 or more years increased the odds of developing glioma (a type of brain tumor) by 44%, with the strongest association for tumors on the same side of the head where people held their phone. The risk was particularly high for low-grade gliomas, which more than doubled with long-term use.

Why This Matters

This meta-analysis represents one of the most comprehensive examinations of cell phone use and brain cancer risk to date, combining data from multiple studies to identify patterns that individual studies might miss. The finding of a 44% increased risk after 10 years of use is particularly concerning given that many people today have been using cell phones for well over a decade. The fact that the risk was highest on the same side of the head where people typically hold their phone (ipsilateral use) strengthens the biological plausibility of the association. What makes this research especially relevant is that it focuses on long-term exposure patterns that mirror real-world usage. The authors acknowledge the evidence quality limitations, but the consistency of findings across multiple studies suggests this isn't simply statistical noise. For the millions of people who have been regular cell phone users for a decade or more, these results underscore the importance of taking precautionary steps to reduce head exposure to radiofrequency radiation.

Exposure Information

Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study.

Study Details

Many studies have previously investigated the potential association between mobile phone use and the risk of glioma. However, results from these individual studies are inconclusive and controversial. The objective of our study was to investigate the potential association between mobile phone use and subsequent glioma risk using meta-analysis.

We performed a systematic search of the Science Citation Index Embase and PubMed databases for studi...

There was a significant positive association between long-term mobile phone use (minimum, 10 years) ...

Our results suggest that long-term mobile phone use may be associated with an increased risk of glioma. There was also an association between mobile phone use and low-grade glioma in the regular use or long-term use subgroups. However, current evidence is of poor quality and limited quantity. It is therefore necessary to conduct large sample, high quality research or better characterization of any potential association between long-term ipsilateral mobile phone use and glioma risk.

Cite This Study
Yang M, Guo W, Yang C, Tang J, Huang Q, Feng S, Jiang A, Xu X, Jiang G. (2017). Mobile phone use and glioma risk: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS One. 12(5):e0175136, 2017.
Show BibTeX
@article{m_2017_mobile_phone_use_and_2690,
  author = {Yang M and Guo W and Yang C and Tang J and Huang Q and Feng S and Jiang A and Xu X and Jiang G.},
  title = {Mobile phone use and glioma risk: A systematic review and meta-analysis.},
  year = {2017},
  
  url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28472042/},
}
PubMed: 28472042

Cited By (82 papers)

View all 82 citing papers on Semantic Scholar

Quick Questions About This Study

Yes, using a mobile phone for 10 or more years increases your risk of developing glioma by 44%. This 2017 meta-analysis of 11 studies involving over 17,000 people found the strongest association when tumors occurred on the same side of the head where people held their phone.
Yes, long-term mobile phone use more than doubles your risk of developing low-grade gliomas. The 2017 study found people using phones for 10+ years had 2.22 times greater odds of low-grade glioma occurrence, while high-grade gliomas showed no increased risk.
Yes, holding your phone on the same side (ipsilateral) where a glioma develops increases risk by 46% with long-term use. The 2017 analysis found no increased risk when tumors occurred on the opposite side from where people typically held their phones.
The 2017 systematic review analyzed 11 studies involving over 17,000 people to examine the relationship between mobile phone use and glioma risk. Researchers found significant associations between long-term phone use and increased brain tumor risk, particularly for low-grade gliomas.
No, high-grade gliomas did not increase with mobile phone use of any duration. The 2017 meta-analysis actually found a slightly decreased risk (19% lower odds) for high-grade gliomas, while low-grade gliomas showed significant increases with long-term phone use.