Monday, January 7, 2013

Media: Our Cell Phone/Tumor Risk Research Review


Review Paper

Seung-Kwon Myung, Woong Ju, Diana D. McDonnell, Yeon Ji Lee, Gene Kazinets, Chih-Tao Cheng, and Joel M. Moskowitz. Mobile Phone Use and Risk of Tumors: A Meta-Analysis. Journal of Clinical Oncology. 20(33):5565-5572. Published online first Oct 13, 2009. Nov 20, 2009.
 
Purpose: Case-control studies have reported inconsistent findings regarding the association between mobile phone use and tumor risk. We investigated these associations using a meta-analysis.

Methods: We searched MEDLINE (PubMed), EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library in August 2008. Two evaluators independently reviewed and selected articles based on predetermined selection criteria.

Results: Of 465 articles meeting our initial criteria, 23 case-control studies, which involved 37,916 participants (12,344 patient cases and 25,572 controls), were included in the final analyses. Compared with never or rarely having used a mobile phone, the odds ratio for overall use was 0.98 for malignant and benign tumors (95% CI, 0.89 to 1.07) in a random-effects meta-analysis of all 23 studies. However, a significant positive association (harmful effect) was observed in a random-effects meta-analysis of eight studies using blinding, whereas a significant negative association (protective effect) was observed in a fixed-effects meta-analysis of 15 studies not using blinding. Mobile phone use of 10 years or longer was associated with a risk of tumors in 13 studies reporting this association (odds ratio = 1.18; 95% CI, 1.04 to 1.34). Further, these findings were also observed in the subgroup analyses by methodologic quality of study. Blinding and methodologic quality of study were strongly associated with the research group.

Conclusion: The current study found that there is possible evidence linking mobile phone use to an increased risk of tumors from a meta-analysis of low-biased case-control studies. Prospective cohort studies providing a higher level of evidence are needed.


Media Coverage

Study suggests link between cell phones and brain tumors
Amanda Gardner, HealthDay News, Oct 13, 2009

Study charts links between mobile phones, tumors
David Morgan, Reuters, Oct 13, 2009
http://www.reuters.com/article/2009/10/13/us-cancer-phones-idUSTRE59C5GA20091013

Analysis of cellphone studies finds tumor risk
Shari Roan, Los Angeles Times, October 14, 2009
Scientists looking at 23 studies involving almost 38,000 people initially see no connection. But a closer look at the highest-quality studies tells another story.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-sci-cell-phones14-2009oct14,0,3949576.story

Evidence still fuzzy on cell phones, cancer
Elizabeth Landau, CNN, Nov 10, 2009
http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/11/10/cell.phones.cancer.tumors/index.html

Is your cell phone causing you brain cancer?
Joel Moskowitz, Devra Davis, Alan Marks, Ellie Marks, Zachary Marks , The Dr. Oz Show, Nov 17, 2009

Media tele-conference on cellphones and brain tumors
Camilla Rees, Devra L. Davis, L. Lloyd Morgan, Joel M. Moskowitz, David O. Carpenter, ElectromagneticHealth.org, December 10, 2009

Is your cell phone giving you cancer?
Paul Fisher, Lloyd Morgan, Joel Moskowitz, City Visions Radio, KALW 91.7 FM (San Francisco), January 25, 2010

Excerpt from “Reducing Environmental Cancer Risk: What We Can Do Now: 2008-2009 Annual Report”
President's Cancer Panel. Reducing Environmental Cancer Risk: What We Can Do Now: 2008-2009 Annual Report. Bethesda, MD: NCI. April 2010. See p. 58, reference 279.

Cell phones & brain tumors­What does the science show?
Camilla Rees, Eileen O’Connor, Olle Johannsson, Starling Childs, Magda Havas, Elizabeth Kelley, Martin Blank, Joel Moskowitz, Llloyd Morgan, Sam Milham, David Carpenter, Blake Levitt, Whitney North Seymour, Commonwealth Club of California, Nov 18, 2010
This presentation was part of “The Health Effects of Electromagnetic Fields” which aired on KPFK FM (Los Angeles) on January 13, 2011.
Presentation (15 minute video): http://vimeo.com/17266112

Carcinogenic phones?
Emily Harris, Joel Moskowitz, Katherine Harmon, David Morrison, Think Out Loud, Oregon Public Broadcasting, June 3, 2011

Killer App
Eric Schultz, California Magazine, Winter 2010, pp. 18-19