A study conducted by researchers from Oxford University and the International Agency for Research on Cancer found that mobile phone use does not increase the risk of brain tumors.
According to a report published on the Oxford University website, the launch of fifth generation (5G) technologies has revived old fears that the use of mobile phones may increase the risk of developing a brain tumor, adding that mobile phones emit radio frequency waves that can cause heat and damage if absorbed by tissues.
Because phones are carried close to the head, the radiofrequency waves they emit penetrate several centimeters of the brain, and the temporal and parietal lobes are more exposed to the waves.
This has led to concern that mobile phone users may be at increased risk of developing brain tumors, with the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classifying radiofrequency waves as "possibly carcinogenic".
Examining the link between the phone and brain tumors
On Wednesday, March 30, researchers from Oxford Population Health and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) reported the results of a large prospective study in the United Kingdom, a study in which participants were enrolled before they developed the disease in question. To investigate the association between mobile phone use and brain tumor risk.
The results were published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
The researchers used data from the UK One Million Women Study: an ongoing study that recruited 1 in 4 UK women who gave birth between 1935 and 1950.
About 776,000 participants completed surveys about their mobile phone use in 2001, and about half of those were surveyed again in 2011. The participants were then followed up for an average of 14 years by linking to their NHS records.
Mobile phone use has been examined in relation to the risk of different types of brain tumors: glioma (a tumor in the nervous system), acoustic neuroma (a nerve tumor that connects the brain to the inner ear), meningioma (a tumor in the membrane surrounding the brain), and adenomas. pituitary;
The researchers also investigated whether mobile phone use was associated with the risk of developing eye tumors.
The study found the following:
During the 14-year follow-up period, 3,268 women (0.42%) developed a brain tumor.
There was no significant difference in brain tumor risk between those who never used a mobile phone and those who used a mobile phone, including tumors in the temporal and parietal lobes, which are the parts of the brain most exposed to waves.
There was also no difference in the risk of developing glioma, acoustic neuroma, meningioma, pituitary adenoma, or ocular tumors.
There was no increased risk of any of these types of tumors for those who used a mobile phone daily, talked for at least 20 minutes per week and/or used a mobile phone for more than 10 years.
The incidence of left and right side tumors was similar in mobile phone users, although phone use is usually much greater on the right side than on the left side.
Mobile technology is getting better
"These findings support accumulating evidence that mobile phone use under usual circumstances does not increase the risk of brain tumors," said co-author Kristen Berry, from Oxford Public Health's Cancer Epidemiology Unit.
Although the results are reassuring, it is still not clear whether the risks associated with mobile phone use differ much more for those using it than was typical for the women in the study.
In this study, only 18% of phone users reported talking to them for 30 minutes or more each week, and those who use cell phones for long periods of time can reduce their exposure to radiofrequency waves by using headphones or speakers.
The study did not include children or adolescents, but researchers elsewhere have investigated the relationship between mobile phone use and brain tumor risk in these groups, and found no association.
Lead researcher from the International Agency for Research on Cancer Joachim Schuse said: “Mobile phone technologies are improving all the time, so newer generations are emitting significantly lower capacity. However, given the lack of evidence for heavy users, advising mobile phone users to reduce unnecessary exposure remains A good precautionary approach.
brain tumors
A brain tumor is an abnormal growth of cells in the brain, and it may be benign or malignant.
Benign tumors do not contain cancer cells, and once removed, they rarely grow back.
With this said, benign brain tumors can cause serious health problems, and can turn malignant, while malignant brain tumors are cancerous, as they grow quickly, attack surrounding tissues, and are usually life-threatening, according to the King Hussein Cancer Center in Jordan.
Types of brain tumors
primary brain tumors
They are tumors that begin in the brain, and they are classified according to the area in which they begin to grow inside the brain, or according to the cells they infect.
Secondary brain tumors
It is caused by cancer that originates elsewhere in the body, such as the lung, but spreads to the brain.
This is also known as metastatic brain cancer.
Causes of brain tumors
The King Hussein Cancer Center says that the cause that leads to brain tumors has not been determined, but they are more prevalent among people over the age of sixty, despite the fact that brain tumors are the second most common cancer among children after leukemia, and it is more common in males, as meningiomas are It is the only species that has been found to infect females more than males.
Risk factors that increase the chance of developing brain tumors
Exposure to high doses of X-rays used in radiotherapy to the brain.
Certain rare genetic conditions increase the chance of developing brain tumors such as neurofibromatosis, von Hippel-Lindau syndrome, Li-Fraumeni syndrome, and Turcot's syndrome.
brain tumor symptoms
Headache (severe in the morning).
nausea;
Lack of clarity or change in vision.
Cramps or spasms in the muscles.
Change in the ability to speak.
difficulty swallowing;
difficulty concentrating
memory problems.
Mood or personality change.
Fatigue and lethargy.