From BBC NEWS: "Mobile phone cancer link debunked"

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From BBC News: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4628914.stm

Mobile phone cancer link debunked

Mobile phone use does not lead to a greater risk of brain tumour, the largest study on the issue has said.

The study of 2,782 people across the UK found no link between the risk of glioma - the most common type of brain tumour - and length of mobile use.

It found a higher risk on the side of the head where the phone is held, but a balancing lower risk on the other side.

The British Medical Journal study said people with gliomas over-reported phone use on the side their cancer developed.

The research, which was carried out by the British arm of an international project called Interphone, reiterates most earlier studies that there is no connection between cancer and mobile phone use.

"These results are reassuring for everyone with a mobile," Dr Kat Arney. Cancer Research Campaign

The team of researchers, involving scientists from Leeds University, the Institute of Cancer Research and Queens Medical Centre in Nottingham, spoke to 966 people diagnosed with glioma and 1,716 without the condition in five areas of the UK.

All 2,783 were interviewed about their history of mobile phone use over the previous 10 years.

They were asked to recall in detail how much they used their mobile phones, how often they used hands-free kits and what types of phones they had used.

Research author Professor Patricia McKinney, Professor of Paediatric Epidemiology at the Leeds University, said: "For regular mobile phone users there was no increased risk of developing a glioma associated with mobile phone use."

But she acknowledged that there appeared to be an increased risk among brain cancer sufferers that the side of the head where they held the phone would be the side where they had the tumour.

'Biased reporting'

She acknowledged that there appeared to be an increased risk among brain cancer sufferers that the side of the head where they held the phone would be the side where they had the tumour.

The team, however, did not put this down to a causal link, because almost exactly the same decreased risk was seen on the other side of the head, leaving no overall increase risk of tumours for mobile phone users.

Instead they blamed biased reporting from brain tumour sufferers who knew what side of the head their tumours were on.

Another research team member, Professor Anthony Swerdlow, of the Cancer Research Institute, said: "It would be very misleading to the public to say that because there was a positive that this (mobile phones) causes brain tumours."

He explained: "If we had found a raised risk overall and it was all coming from one side I would believe there was a real case.

"But as there is a drop on the opposing side - the overall risk is not raised.

"That makes it rather unlikely that there is a raised risk."

'Poor relation'

But he added that epidemiological studies could never show there was no risk of an activity, they could only suggest there was no raised risk.

The National Radiological Protection Board said the research was good news, but that it did not give mobile phones a clean bill of health.

The board said it would not be changing its advice that children should not make unnecessary mobile phone calls.

Dr Kat Arney, science information officer at Cancer Research UK, said research such us this was vital for getting to the environmental causes of cancer.

"This is the biggest and most thorough study into mobile phones and glioma so far, and it adds to the growing evidence that there is no link.

"Although we still don't know about the very long-term effects of phone use, these results are reassuring for everyone with a mobile."

Wendy Fulcher, who founded Brain Tumour Research Campaign, said she hoped people would be finally reassured by the results of the research.

She said that as scientists had been saying for some time that there was no causal link, following "red herrings" like this could prevent other research in the field.

"In relation to other cancers brain tumours are the poor relation when it comes to research funding.

"There should be more money focused on the root causes of brain tumours."