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Mobile phone use and risk of brain neoplasms and other cancers: prospective study

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Benson VS, Pirie K, Schüz J, Reeves GK, Beral V, Green J; for the Million Women Study Collaborators. · 2013

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Long-term mobile phone users showed no increased risk for common brain tumors but over double the risk for acoustic neuroma.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

British researchers followed nearly 800,000 middle-aged women for 7 years to see if mobile phone use increased their risk of brain tumors and other cancers. They found no increased risk for most brain tumors, including the most common types (glioma and meningioma), but did find that women who used phones for 10+ years had more than double the risk of developing acoustic neuroma, a rare tumor of the hearing nerve. This large study provides mixed evidence about mobile phone safety, with reassurance for most brain cancers but concern for one specific type.

Why This Matters

This Million Women Study represents one of the largest prospective investigations into mobile phone cancer risk, tracking actual tumor development rather than relying on people's memories after diagnosis. The finding of no increased glioma or meningioma risk contradicts some earlier studies, but the 2.46-fold increase in acoustic neuroma risk among long-term users deserves serious attention. What makes this particularly significant is that acoustic neuromas develop right where you hold your phone against your head. While these tumors are rare (affecting roughly 1 in 100,000 people annually), a doubling of risk from a device used by billions globally represents a substantial public health concern. The science demonstrates that even when most cancer risks appear minimal, specific vulnerabilities can emerge with extended exposure patterns.

Exposure Information

Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study.

Study Details

The aim of this study is to investigate Mobile phone use and risk of brain neoplasms and other cancers: prospective study

The relation between mobile phone use and incidence of intracranial central nervous system (CNS) tum...

During 7 years' follow-up, 51,680 incident invasive cancers and 1,261 incident intracranial CNS tumo...

In this large prospective study, mobile phone use was not associated with increased incidence of glioma, meningioma or non-CNS cancers.

Cite This Study
Benson VS, Pirie K, Schüz J, Reeves GK, Beral V, Green J; for the Million Women Study Collaborators. (2013). Mobile phone use and risk of brain neoplasms and other cancers: prospective study Int J Epidemiol. 2013 Jun;42(3):792-802. doi: 10.1093/ije/dyt072. Epub 2013 May 8. PMID: 23657200.
Show BibTeX
@article{vs_2013_mobile_phone_use_and_1898,
  author = {Benson VS and Pirie K and Schüz J and Reeves GK and Beral V and Green J; for the Million Women Study Collaborators.},
  title = {Mobile phone use and risk of brain neoplasms and other cancers: prospective study},
  year = {2013},
  
  url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23657200/},
}
PubMed: 23657200

Cited By (184 papers)

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Quick Questions About This Study

Yes, the Million Women Study found that women who used mobile phones for 10+ years had more than double the risk (2.46 times higher) of developing acoustic neuroma, a rare hearing nerve tumor. However, the study found no increased risk for other brain tumors like glioma or meningioma.
The Million Women Study following 800,000 middle-aged women for 7 years found no increased risk for most brain cancers including glioma and meningioma. However, long-term users (10+ years) showed increased acoustic neuroma risk, suggesting mixed safety evidence for different tumor types.
British researchers in the Million Women Study followed nearly 800,000 middle-aged women for 7 years to examine mobile phone use and cancer risk. During this period, they documented 1,261 brain tumors and 51,680 other cancers to assess potential connections with phone usage.
The 2013 Million Women Study found no association between mobile phone use and glioma or meningioma, the most common brain tumor types. Long-term users showed no increased risk for glioma (0.78 relative risk) or meningioma (1.10 relative risk) compared to never-users.
No, the Million Women Study found mobile phone use was not associated with increased risk for cancer at 18 other body sites beyond the brain. The study only identified increased acoustic neuroma risk with long-term use, while finding no elevated risk for other cancers.