[October 14, 2009] Cell phones may be linked with brain tumors Tweet LOS ANGELES, Oct 14, 2009 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- There might be a weak potential link between the use of cell phones and brain tumors, a new study suggests. The conclusion was based on a review of existing research on the topic, according to the study published online Oct. 13 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Most researches discerned no overall link, but when the spotlight was turned on only the more methodologically rigorous studies, a potentially harmful association was found, said the new study conducted by a team of U.S. and South Korean researchers. In the study, the researchers searched medical bases for the keywords "mobile phones," "cellular phones," "cordless phones" and "tumors" or "cancer." They included 23 case-control studies, involving 37,916 total participants, in their final analysis. When the studies were pooled, no risk was seen between mobile phone use and brain tumors, either benign or malignant. But a subgroup of studies that employed more rigorous methodology -- most conducted by the same research team in Sweden -- reported a harmful effect, whereas a set of less rigorous studies -- most funded by an industry consortium -- found a protective effect. Specifically, the more robust studies found that using a mobile phone for a decade or longer resulted in an 18 percent increased risk for developing a brain tumor. Some studies also showed that brain tumors were more likely to appear on the side of the brain where the cell phone was used. Joel Moskowitz, the study's senior author, said that "clearly there is risk." "I would not allow children to use a cell phone, or I at least would require them to use a separate headset," said Moskowitz, director of the Center for Family and Community Health at the UC ( university of California) Berkeley's School of Public Health. "It seems fairly derelict of us as a society or as a planet to just disseminate this technology to the extent that we have without doing a whole lot more research of the potential harms and how to protect against those harms. Clearly, we need to learn a whole lot more about this technology." Moskowitz also believes that there's potential for harm to other areas of the body -- the genitals, for example -- when the phone is carried in a pocket. With so many people worldwide using cell phones, even a small risk could translate into many illnesses and deaths, he said. "We need to do a whole lot more research because the stakes are really high and there seems to be suggestive evidence that you better be careful about this, especially in children, who have developing tissue and smaller brain and skull sizes," Moskowitz warned. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]