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Cell Phone Users Still At Risk for Brain Cancer
Cell Phone Users Still At Risk for Brain Cancer, According to Swedish
Medical Researchers
NEW YORK, N.Y.--(BW HealthWire)--May 4, 2000--
Peer-Reviewed Article on Medscape General Medicine Points to Higher
Risk for Analog Phones
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 Nasman, 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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Director, Technical Extension 2306
ICN Worldwide Dosimetry Division Fax:(714) 668-3149
ICN Biomedicals, Inc. E-Mail: sandyfl@earthlink.net
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