Mobile phone use and risk of glioma in adults: Study has many flaws

doi:10.1136/bmj.332.7548.1035-b

BMJ 2006;332:1035 (29 April), doi:10.1136/bmj.332.7548.1035-b

Letter

Mobile phone use and risk of glioma in adults

Study has many flaws

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

EDITOR—In years past Hepworth et al's study would neverhave been published because a low participation rate would havebeen cause for rejection.¹ With 51% of cases and 45% of thecontrols participating there is little reason to believe anyof the reported results. There are additional flaws:

Controls were more affluent controls than cases
Non-participatingcontrols were more likely than participatingcontrols not touse cellphones²
The reference group was never/non-regularcellphone users. Becausethis reference did not exclude theusers of cordless phones,the reference group cannot be describedas unexposed
Regular cellphone use is defined as cellphoneuse for at leastonce a week for six months or more. Regularcellphone use isset to such a minimal standard that few couldimagine a findingof risk.

In spite of these flaws, the study reported a 60% increasedrisk of glioma for regular cellphone use . . . [Full text of this article]

L Lloyd Morgan, retired electronic engineer

2022 Francisco Street, Berkeley, CA 94709, USA bilovksy@aol.com

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Mobile phone use and risk of glioma in adults: case-control study: Sarah J Hepworth, Minouk J Schoemaker, Kenneth R Muir, Anthony J Swerdlow, Martie J A van Tongeren, and Patricia A McKinney
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