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Cancer & Tumors516 citations

Cellular-telephone use and brain tumors.

No Effects Found

Inskip PD, Tarone RE, Hatch EE, Wilcosky TC, Shapiro WR, Selker RG, Fine HA, Black PM, Loeffler JS, Linet MS · 2001

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Early cell phone study found no brain tumor risk, but couldn't assess today's heavy usage patterns or long-term effects.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers examined 782 brain tumor patients and 799 controls to see if cell phone use increases brain tumor risk. They found no increased risk of glioma, meningioma, or acoustic neuroma among people who used cell phones for more than 100 hours or regularly for five or more years. However, the study period (1994-1998) means it couldn't assess risks from long-term heavy use or tumors that take decades to develop.

Study Details

The aim of this study is to investigate Cellular-telephone use and brain tumors.

We examined the use of cellular telephones in a case–control study of intracranial tumors of the ner...

As compared with never, or very rarely, having used a cellular telephone, the relative risks associa...

These data do not support the hypothesis that the recent use of hand-held cellular telephones causes brain tumors, but they are not sufficient to evaluate the risks among long-term, heavy users and for potentially long induction periods.

Cite This Study
Inskip PD, Tarone RE, Hatch EE, Wilcosky TC, Shapiro WR, Selker RG, Fine HA, Black PM, Loeffler JS, Linet MS (2001). Cellular-telephone use and brain tumors. N Engl J Med 344(2):79-86, 2001.
Show BibTeX
@article{pd_2001_cellulartelephone_use_and_brain_3103,
  author = {Inskip PD and Tarone RE and Hatch EE and Wilcosky TC and Shapiro WR and Selker RG and Fine HA and Black PM and Loeffler JS and Linet MS},
  title = {Cellular-telephone use and brain tumors.},
  year = {2001},
  doi = {10.1056/nejm200101113440201},
  url = {https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/nejm200101113440201},
}
DOI: 10.1056/nejm200101113440201

Cited By (516 papers)

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Quick Questions About This Study

A 2001 study of 782 brain tumor patients found no increased risk of glioma, meningioma, or acoustic neuroma among people who used cell phones for more than 100 hours. The relative risk was actually slightly lower (0.9) for gliomas compared to non-users.
Research examining 782 brain tumor cases found no evidence that acoustic neuromas occur more often on the side of the head where people typically hold their phone. The study showed no pattern linking tumor location to phone usage side.
A case-control study found no evidence that brain tumor risks increase among people who used cell phones regularly for five or more years. The research examined gliomas, meningiomas, and acoustic neuromas with no significant risk elevation found.
Analysis of 782 brain tumor patients showed no higher cancer risks among people using cell phones 60 or more minutes per day. The study examined multiple brain tumor types and found no significant associations with heavy daily usage patterns.
The 2001 study covered cell phone use from 1994-1998, when phones were relatively new. This timeframe couldn't evaluate risks from decades of heavy use or tumors with long development periods, limiting conclusions about long-term safety.