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Cancer & Tumors283 citations

Long-term mobile phone use and brain tumor risk.

No Effects Found

Lonn S, Ahlbom A, Hall P, Feychting M. · 2005

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Swedish study of long-term mobile phone users found no increased brain tumor risk after more than 10 years of use.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Swedish researchers studied whether long-term mobile phone use increases brain tumor risk by comparing 644 brain tumor patients with 674 healthy controls over a period when many people had used phones for more than 10 years. They found no increased risk of glioma or meningioma brain tumors, even among the heaviest users. The study actually showed slightly lower tumor rates among phone users, though this protective effect was likely due to study limitations rather than phones preventing cancer.

Study Details

The purpose of this population-based, case-control study was to test the hypothesis that long-term mobile phone use increases the risk of brain tumors.

The authors identified all cases aged 20-69 years who were diagnosed with glioma or meningioma durin...

For regular mobile phone use, the odds ratio was 0.8 (95% confidence interval: 0.6, 1.0) for glioma ...

This study includes a large number of long-term mobile phone users, and the authors conclude that the data do not support the hypothesis that mobile phone use is related to an increased risk of glioma or meningioma.

Cite This Study
Lonn S, Ahlbom A, Hall P, Feychting M. (2005). Long-term mobile phone use and brain tumor risk. Am J Epidemiol. 161(6):526-535, 2005.
Show BibTeX
@article{s_2005_longterm_mobile_phone_use_3208,
  author = {Lonn S and Ahlbom A and Hall P and Feychting M.},
  title = {Long-term mobile phone use and brain tumor risk.},
  year = {2005},
  
  url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15746469/},
}
PubMed: 15746469

Cited By (283 papers)

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Quick Questions About This Study

Swedish researchers found no increased brain tumor risk from mobile phone use exceeding 10 years. The 2005 study compared 644 brain tumor patients with 674 healthy controls and actually found slightly lower tumor rates among phone users, though this protective effect likely reflected study limitations rather than genuine protection.
Heavy mobile phone use does not increase glioma risk according to Swedish research. The study found an odds ratio of 0.8 for glioma among regular phone users, meaning slightly lower rates than non-users. Even the heaviest users showed no increased risk of developing this brain tumor type.
Long-term mobile phone users do not face increased meningioma risk. Swedish researchers found an odds ratio of 0.7 for meningioma among phone users, indicating lower rates than non-users. The study included many participants who had used phones for more than a decade without increased tumor risk.
Using phones on the same side as brain tumors (ipsilateral use) does not increase cancer risk. The Swedish study found no risk increase for tumors located in temporal and parietal brain lobes, even when phones were consistently used on the same side as the tumor location.
Different mobile phone types do not vary in brain tumor risk according to Swedish research. The study found no increased odds ratios regardless of phone type, tumor characteristics, or amount of use, suggesting consistent safety across various mobile phone technologies available in 2005.