INTERPHONE Study on Mobile Phone Use and Brain Cancer

Author: Mobile Manufacturers Forum
Published: 2010/05/16 - Updated: 2026/04/24
Publication Type: Research, Study, Analysis
Category Topic: Cancer - Tumors - Related Publications

Contents: Synopsis - Introduction - Main - Insights, Updates

Synopsis: This research, published in the International Journal of Epidemiology as part of the internationally coordinated INTERPHONE project led by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, presents a combined case-control analysis from 13 countries examining glioma and meningioma, the two most common brain tumors, in relation to mobile phone use. The authors concluded that overall no increased risk of either tumor type was observed among mobile phone users, though suggestions of elevated glioma risk at the highest cumulative call-time levels could not be causally interpreted due to recall bias and other methodological errors noted in the paper. Commentary from IARC Director Dr. Christopher Wild and Mobile Manufacturers Forum Secretary General Michael Milligan is included alongside context on longer-term follow-up work such as the COSMOS, MOBI-kids, CEFALO, and MoRPhEUS studies, giving readers - including seniors, caregivers, and people with disabilities who depend heavily on mobile devices - a grounded reference point for understanding what the largest case-control study of its kind did and did not find - Disabled World (DW).

Topic Definition: INTERPHONE Study: The INTERPHONE Study is a multinational case-control investigation coordinated by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) across 13 countries to examine whether mobile phone use is associated with tumors of the head and neck, principally glioma, meningioma, acoustic neuroma, and parotid gland tumors. It compares self-reported lifetime mobile phone exposure among diagnosed tumor patients with that of matched controls drawn from the general population, and its combined analyses are intended to provide statistical power that individual national studies cannot achieve on their own. Because the design relies on participant recall of past phone use, results must be interpreted with attention to recall bias, selection bias, and changing technology and usage patterns over time.

Introduction

Biggest Study Ever Reports on Mobiles and Brain Cancer

The International Journal of Epidemiology published a combined data analysis from a multi national population-based case-control study of glioma and meningioma, the most common types of brain tumor. This is the first in a series of combined data analyses of head and neck tumors published as part of the internationally coordinated INTERPHONE project.

Main Content

The authors reported the following conclusion:

Overall, no increase in risk of glioma or meningioma was observed with use of mobile phones. There were suggestions of an increased risk of glioma at the highest exposure levels, but biases and error prevent a causal interpretation. The possible effects of long-term heavy use of mobile phones require further investigation.

In the press release accompanying the release of the paper, Dr Christopher Wild, Director of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) said:

"An increased risk of brain cancer is not established from the data from Interphone. However, observations at the highest level of cumulative call time and the changing patterns of mobile phone use since the period studied by Interphone, particularly in young people, mean that further investigation of mobile phone use and brain cancer risk is merited."

Commenting on the study, Michael Milligan, Secretary General of the Mobile Manufacturers Forum said:

"The INTERPHONE project is the biggest study of its kind ever undertaken in this field and provides significant further reassurance about the safety of mobile phones. The overall analysis is consistent with previous studies and the significant body of research, reporting no increased health risk from using mobile phones."

He continued:

"The absence of increased health risks include long term mobile phone use for more than 10 years. The authors make it clear that the data was insufficient for a clear interpretation of possible risk from self-reported heavy use due to a number of possible errors or biases. For example, the paper notes that there is evidence that people diagnosed with a brain tumor over-reported their past mobile phone use and that 'recall bias-like this may be more likely if subjects perceive that mobile phone use is associated with brain tumors, as has been widely speculated in the media."

"Mobile phone users can take comfort in the fact that there is already a substantial body of scientific evidence on the long-tem use of mobile phones through whole-of-life animal studies, which have found no link between long-term exposure to radiofrequency and health impacts," added Mr Milligan.

The INTERPHONE results now need to be considered by independent health authorities, such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and other expert groups to assess their significance, if any, to people's health.

Mr Milligan added:

"The mobile industry supports the need for ongoing research. In fact, a number of longer-term studies are already underway such as the COSMOS study, which will follow the health of 250,000 European mobile users for 20-30 years, and several studies are now looking at children and teenagers, including the international MOBI-kids and CEFALO studies and the Australian MoRPhEUS project."

About the Study

Although INTERPHONE is a large and important study, it must be viewed in context as only one of many studies that will be used in the overall cancer-risk assessment to be undertaken by IARC in 2011.

The mobile phone industry takes all questions regarding the safety of mobile phones seriously and has a strong commitment to supporting ongoing scientific research such as the way it supported the INTERPHONE project.

This study is part of the combined analysis of the national data collected as part of the 13 country INTERPHONE project, coordinated by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).

The MMF provided partial funding for the INTERPHONE project in conjunction with the GSM Association, the European Commission and many national research funding bodies. Funding was provided in such a manner as to ensure the full scientific independence of the study and the terms of the funding agreement are publicly available.

Tumors of the nervous system are rare and account for less than 2% of all malignancies (about 175,000 cases per year worldwide). Gliomas are a type of brain tumor arising in cells of the brain and are diagnosed each year at 6-8 per 100,000 people in the west. Meningiomas arise from cells that make up the covering around the brain and are even rarer, affecting fewer than 2 per 100,000 people.

Insights, Analysis, and Developments

Editorial Note: INTERPHONE remains a landmark dataset, but its own authors flagged the heaviest-use category as unresolved, and patterns of phone use have shifted significantly since the study period, particularly among younger users and those who rely on hands-free and streaming functions throughout the day. Readers should treat the reassuring headline finding as meaningful yet provisional, and keep an eye on ongoing prospective cohorts such as COSMOS, which will follow 250,000 European users over two to three decades and should eventually clarify questions that a case-control design simply cannot answer - Disabled World (DW).

Attribution/Source(s): This quality-reviewed publication was selected for publishing by the editors of Disabled World (DW) due to its relevance to the disability community. Originally authored by Mobile Manufacturers Forum and published on 2010/05/16, this content may have been edited for style, clarity, or brevity.