The anatomical distribution of cerebral gliomas in mobile phone users.

Kahn AA, O'Brien DF, Kelly P, Phillips JP, Rawluk D, Bolger C, Pidgeon CN

Ir Med J. 96(8):240-242, 2003

We analysed the association between mobile phone use and the anatomical distribution of glial brain tumours in Irish neurosurgical patients.

All patients with unilateral histologically proven glioma were enrolled over a 12 month period. We hypothesised that were a cellular phone to cause a glioma then it would do so on the dominant hand side. Fifty mobile phone users and twenty three non-users were identified. The vast majority of patients (69/73) were right handed and the right side of the brain was more common as the tumour site (48/73).

Fisher's exact test revealed no statistical significance for glioma location based on the handedness of the patient in the mobile phone user group and location of the tumour in both user and non-user groups. We discuss our findings and the stable trend in the incidence of reported glioma cases.