SIGHTINGS



New Cell Phone & Brain
Tumor Study Results
From Betty Martini <Mission-Possible-USA@altavista.net>
From Martin Frid <mjfrid@hotmail.com>
New Study By Dr. Lennart Hardell On Brain Tumors
5-5-00

 
Dear Betty,
 
Dr Hardell's cellular phone study is on Medscape today. The cases and controls were evaluated for exposure to a variety of possible cancer risks through questionnaires and additional telephone interviews. The statistical analysis was based on answers from 209 cases and 425 controls. Some of the other risks examined in this study included exposure to radiation, electromagnetic fields or video displays, exposure to various chemical agents including pesticides, exposure to the sweetener aspartame, and risk by occupation.
 
For aspartame, they studied intake of low-calorie drinks and found an OR of 1.24 (95% CI, 0.72-2.14). The risk was further increased for malignant tumors, with an OR of 2.66 (95% CI, 1.01-7.04) in the highest-exposure group. The mean age of cases and controls was 50 years.
 
OR = Odds Ratio CI = Confidence Interval
 
Sincerely,
 
Martin
 
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Medscape General Medicine http://www.medscape.com/
 
Original Article Case-Control Study on Radiology Work, Medical X-ray Investigations, and Use of Cellular Telephones as Risk Factors for Brain Tumors
 
Lennart Hardell, MD, PhD, Department of Oncology, Orebro Medical Center, SE-701 85 Orebro, Sweden email: lennart.hardell@orebroll.se Asa Nasman, MSc, Department of Oncology, Orebro Medical Center, SE-701 85 Orebro, Sweden Anneli Pahlson, MD, Department of Neurology, Orebro Medical Center, SE-701 85 Orebro, Sweden Arne Hallquist, MD, PhD, Department of Oncology, Karolinska Institute and Stockholms Sjukhem, Mariebergsgatan 22, SE-112 35 Stockholm, Sweden
 
----------- Abstract
 
Context
 
Ionizing radiation is a well-established risk factor for brain tumors. During recent years, microwave exposure from the use of cellular telephones has been discussed as a potential risk factor. Objective. To determine risk factors for brain tumors. Design. A case-control study, with exposure assessed by questionnaires. Participants. A total of 233 currently living men and women, aged 20 to 80 years, were included. The case patients had histopathologically verified brain tumors and lived in the Uppsala-Orebro region (1994-1996) or the Stockholm region (1995-1996). Two matched controls to each case were selected from the Swedish Population Register. Main Outcome Measures. Ionizing radiation and use of cellular telephones as risk factors for brain tumors.
 
 
Results
 
A total of 209 cases (90%) and 425 controls (91%) answered the questionnaire. Work as a physician yielded an odds ratio (OR) of 6.00, with a 95% confidence interval (CI) of 0.62 to 57.7. All three case patients had worked with fluoroscopy. Radiotherapy of the head and neck region yielded an OR of 3.61 (95% CI, 0.65-19.9). Medical diagnostic x-ray examination of the same area yielded an OR of 2.10 (95% CI, 1.25-3.53), with a tumor induction period of 5 years or more. Chemical industry work yielded an OR of 4.10 (95% CI, 1.25-13.4), and laboratory work yielded an OR of 3.21 (95% CI, 1.16-8.85). Ipsilateral use of cellular telephones increased the risk for tumors in the temporal, temporoparietal, and occipital lobes (OR, 2.42; 95% CI, 0.97-6.05), ie, the anatomic areas with highest exposure to microwaves from a mobile telephone. The result was further strengthened (OR, 2.62; 95% CI, 1.02-6.71) in a multivariate analysis that included laboratory work and medical diagnostic x-ray investigations of the head and neck.
 
Conclusion
 
Exposure to ionizing radiation, work in laboratories, and work in the chemical industry increased the risk of brain tumors. Use of a cellular telephone was associated with an increased risk in the anatomic area with highest exposure. [MedGenMed, May 4, 2000. c Medscape, Inc.]
 
Keywords: Brain tumors, fluoroscopy, radiologist, radiation, medical x-ray, cellular telephones
 
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David Fluhrer <david_fluhrer@mail.medscape.com Medscape 212-760-3138
 
Andrew Lavin/NinaDietrich <mail@alavin.com A. Lavin Communications 212-290-9540
 
CELL PHONE USERS STILL AT RISK FOR BRAIN CANCER, ACCORDING TO SWEDISH MEDICAL RESEARCHERS
 
Peer-Reviewed Article on Medscape General Medicine Points to Higher Risk for Analog Phones
 
New York, NY - With worldwide cellular phone use rising exponentially, a team of Swedish medical investigators is raising renewed concerns about links between brain tumors and the phones in a new, peer-reviewed article to be posted today on Medscape General Medicine, (MedGenMed, www.medscape.com/journal/MedGenMed), the online general medical journal.
 
In the report, "Case-Control Study on Radiological Work, Medical X-ray Investigations and Use of Cellular Telephones as Risk Factors for Brain Tumors, the Swedish team investigated localization of the brain tumors since handheld cell phones increase the exposure of microwaves to the side of the brain corresponding to the side of the head most favored by cell phone users. Statistical analysis indicated an increase in associated risk for brain tumors in the anatomical areas - i.e., temporal, temporoparietal and occipital lobes of the brain -- that received the highest doses of microwaves. The risk from cell phones was significantly increased when adjustment was made for other risk factors in the study (laboratory work and medical x-ray investigations of the head and neck). The article also points out that all but one of the 13 individuals with malignant or benign tumors within exposed anatomical areas of the brain relied on the older analog technology with greater power output. The complete report will be available to the public at http://www.medscape.com/MedGenMed/braintumors.
 
The study, conducted over a two-year period in two separate regions of Sweden, evaluated a total of 233 patient cases with verified brain tumors. Each of these patient cases was matched to two controls, or healthy subjects (466 in total), based on similar sex, age, and geography. Eight of these 233 patients had recurrent brain tumors and were excluded from the study together with their matched controls. The cases and controls were evaluated for exposure to a variety of possible cancer risks through questionnaires and additional telephone interviews. The statistical analysis was based on answers from 209 cases and 425 controls. Some of the other risks examined in this study included exposure to radiation, electromagnetic fields or video displays, exposure to various chemical agents including pesticides, exposure to the sweetener aspartame, and risk by occupation. The study was supported by grants from Cancer- och Allergifonden, the Swedish Medical Research Council and Orebro Cancer Fund.
 
Dr. George D. Lundberg, Editor-in-Chief of MedGenMed and its parent company, Medscape, Inc., said of the article, "The study reaffirms that this issue requires further investigation, in spite of recent reports downplaying the association between cell phone use and brain tumors, and the lower-power output associated with newer digital phones. With the proliferation of cell phones -- and the fact that many older higher-power output phones are still in use -- it is important to adequately assess the risks in larger, ongoing studies."
 
Authors of the report are Lennart Hardell, MD, PhD, Department of Oncology, Orebro Medical Center; Asa Näsman, MSc, Department of Oncology, Orebro Medical Center; Anneli Pahlson, MD, Department of Neurology, Orebro Medical Center; and Arne Hallquist, MD, PhD, Department of Oncology, Karolinska Institute and Stockholms Sjukhem, Stockholm, Sweden. Journalists may reach Dr. Hardell at: phone + 46 19 602 15 46, fax + 46 19 10 17 68, e-mail: lennart.hardell@orebroll.se.
 
MedGenMed is published within medscape.com (www.medscape.com), a leading provider of authoritative health and medical information on the Internet since 1995 that is operated by Medscape, Inc. (NASDAQ NM:MSCP). Articles are submitted, peer-reviewed, edited and then published exclusively online free of charge. They become available to a virtually unlimited, broad-based audience of physicians, other healthcare professionals, patients, consumers, policymakers and the news media. Because the Internet does not limit MedGenMed to a set weekly, monthly or quarterly publishing schedule, Medscape maximizes the speed of delivery by reducing lengthy print cycles while upholding the highest standards of quality.
 
Guiding the editorial content of both MedGenMed and medscape.com is a staff led by Lundberg, former Editor of the Journal of the American Medical Association for 17 years. Dr. Lundberg has attracted a star-studded editorial board comprising 19 of the world's leading physicians, clinicians, medical experts, academicians and ethicists. In June of last year, MedGenMed advanced online medical history by posting an original, authoritative peer-reviewed report only 39 days after it was submitted, compared to the 6 to 24 months of review normally required by traditional print general medical journals.
 
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