8,700 Studies Reviewed. 87.0% Found Biological Effects. The Evidence is Clear.
Shield Your Body
Cancer & Tumors

Mobile phone use and glioma risk: comparison of epidemiological study results with incidence trends in the United States.

Bioeffects Seen

Little MP, Rajaraman P, Curtis RE, Devesa SS, Inskip PD, Check DP, Linet MS. · 2012

View Original Abstract
Share:

Real-world brain cancer rates remained steady despite massive increases in mobile phone use, suggesting cancer risks may be lower than some studies indicate.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers compared cancer registry data from 1992-2008 with predictions based on two major studies that found increased brain cancer (glioma) risk from mobile phone use. They found that actual brain cancer rates remained steady during this period, even as mobile phone use increased from nearly 0% to almost 100% of the US population. This suggests the higher cancer risks reported in one Swedish study may not reflect real-world population-level impacts.

Why This Matters

This study highlights a critical challenge in EMF health research: the gap between individual case-control studies and population-level health trends. While the IARC classified mobile phone radiation as a possible carcinogen based partly on studies showing increased glioma risk, this analysis suggests those findings may not translate to detectable increases in actual cancer rates. The reality is that epidemiological studies can show statistical associations that don't necessarily predict population health outcomes, especially when relative risks are modest and exposure patterns are complex. What this means for you is that the cancer risk from mobile phone use, if it exists, appears to be smaller than some studies suggest. However, this doesn't eliminate concern entirely, as cancer can have long latency periods and population studies have limitations in detecting small increases in risk.

Exposure Information

Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study.

Study Details

In view of mobile phone exposure being classified as a possible human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), we determined the compatibility of two recent reports of glioma risk (forming the basis of the IARC’s classification) with observed incidence trends in the United States.

Comparison of observed rates with projected rates of glioma incidence for 1997-2008. We estimated pr...

Age specific incidence rates of glioma remained generally constant in 1992-2008 (−0.02% change per y...

Raised risks of glioma with mobile phone use, as reported by one (Swedish) study forming the basis of the IARC’s re-evaluation of mobile phone exposure, are not consistent with observed incidence trends in US population data, although the US data could be consistent with the modest excess risks in the Interphone study.

Cite This Study
Little MP, Rajaraman P, Curtis RE, Devesa SS, Inskip PD, Check DP, Linet MS. (2012). Mobile phone use and glioma risk: comparison of epidemiological study results with incidence trends in the United States. BMJ.344:e1147, 2012. doi: 10.1136/bmj.e1147.
Show BibTeX
@article{mp_2012_mobile_phone_use_and_2367,
  author = {Little MP and Rajaraman P and Curtis RE and Devesa SS and Inskip PD and Check DP and Linet MS.},
  title = {Mobile phone use and glioma risk: comparison of epidemiological study results with incidence trends in the United States.},
  year = {2012},
  
  url = {https://www.bmj.com/content/344/bmj.e1147},
}

Quick Questions About This Study

No, brain cancer rates remained essentially flat from 1992-2008 despite cell phone use growing from nearly 0% to almost 100% of the US population. This 2012 study found glioma incidence changed by only -0.02% per year during this period of massive mobile phone adoption.
The Swedish study predicted US brain cancer rates should have been at least 40% higher by 2008 than actually observed. Real-world US cancer registry data showed stable glioma rates despite widespread phone adoption, suggesting the Swedish findings may not reflect population-level impacts.
Yes, the modest cancer risks found in the Interphone study could be consistent with observed US brain cancer data. Unlike the Swedish study's predictions, Interphone's findings from highly exposed users align better with actual population cancer registry trends through 2008.
This study assumed a 10-year latency period for brain tumor development from mobile phone exposure. Even accounting for this delay and using conservative risk estimates, predicted cancer rates still exceeded what actually occurred in the US population by 2008.
If mobile phones caused brain cancer as some studies suggest, US glioma rates should have increased significantly from 1992-2008. Instead, cancer registry data showed stable rates despite cell phone use reaching nearly 100% of Americans during this same period.