The World Health Organisation (WHO) and the UN’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) are issuing only partial results of the Interphone studies on Tuesday ^[0] . These published resultsjust include gliomas and meningiomas. They leave out the results for salivary gland tumours and acoustic neuromas - the results of which are even more damning. ^[7,8,9]

The results of this 13 country study are 5 years overdue with reports of deep divides between researchers. Perhaps a case of "Do we cover up the bad news or do we tell the truth?”

The summary within the report claims that there is no overall increased risk. However,  the detail of the published results show a 40% increased risk for 1,640 hours use (10 years) for glioma and 15% for Meningioma, with more tumours on the side of the head where the mobile phone is held.

Previously a paper published in Pathophysiology^[1] details 11 design flaws in the Interphone study. These flaws even led to one study claiming that mobile phone use actually reduced brain tumour risk by 20%! This is clearly ridiculous and shows how skewed the design was. Could the large industry funding have played a part in the design of the study?

That even this skewed set of studies still throws up an increase in brain cancer risk after 10 years use should make people worry. Brain tumours are increasing at the rate of 2% every year. So much so that brain tumours are now the biggest cause of cancer death in young men and women in the UK ^[10].

Brain tumour studies have been conducted by 2 research groups only - Interphone and Prof Hardell at Obrero University in Sweden.

Last year 5 scientists reviewed all the published studies to date i.e. Interphone and Hardell’s independently funded studies. ^[2]

This report showed a doubling of brain tumour risk after 10 years use with a 5 times increased risk of brain tumours for children using a mobile before age 20. ^[3] The authors assume this was an underestimate due to the flaws in Interphone.

Australian Television interviewed 2 of the researchers - brain surgeons Dr Teo and Dr Khurana. This is what they had to say:

Dr Teo, says: "If the question is do I believe that mobile phones can cause brain cancer? The answer is yes, I do."

Dr Teo also gives this warning: "I'm incredibly worried, concerned, depressed at the number of kids I'm seeing coming in with brain tumours. Malignant brain tumours. Just in the last three or four weeks I've seen nearly half a dozen kids with tumours which really should have been benign and they've all been nasty, malignant brain tumours. We are doing something terribly wrong."

Dr Vini Khurana says "Long-term use of mobile phones is associated with a doubling of the risk of being diagnosed with certain brain tumours....I actually think it may be a conservative estimate."^[4]

According to Lloyd Morgan, B.Sc., lead author of the white paper, “Cellphones and Brain Tumors: 15 Reasons for Concern, Science, Spin and the Truth Behind Interphone” ^[5] "This data is already past its ‘sell-by’ date. Further delays in releasing the other data are not acceptable. In my opinion, the whole Interphone study has turned into a scandalous and expensive fiasco."

Mast Sanity calls upon (WHO/IARC) to come clean and admit that Mobile Phone use DOES cause Brain Cancer.

Furthermore, Mast Sanity call for an immediate release of all Interphone raw data to ensure transparency and complete disclosure, and the results of the unpublished studies to be made public.

[Note: This Press Release was Embargoed until 1.30am Tuesday 18th May 2010 and was clearly marked as such]

Notes and References:

[0] Interphone Study Results - http://www.oxfordjournals.org/our_journals/ije/press_releases/freepdf/dyq079.pdf

[1] http://electromagnetichealth.org/electromagnetic-health-blog/international-emf-collaborative-advisory-on-forthcoming-interphone-brain-tumor-study/ - International EMF Collaborative Advisory on Forthcoming Interphone Brain Tumor Study

[2] http://www.brain-surgery.us/mobilephone.html - Mobile Phone-Brain Tumour Public Health Advisory Vini G. Khurana, MBBS, BSc(Med), PhD, FRACS

[3] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19513546 - Int J Oncol. 2009 Jul;35(1):5-17. Mobile phones, cordless phones and the risk for brain tumours.

[4] http://sixtyminutes.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=797215 - Wake-Up Call

[5] http://www.radiationresearch.org/pdfs/15reasons.asp - “Cellphones and Brain Tumors: 15 Reasons for Concern, Science, Spin and the Truth Behind Interphone”

[7] http://www.powerwatch.org.uk/news/20071218_israeli_interphone.asp -

Israeli INTERPHONE project has now reported in, with a finding of statistically significantly increased risk in salivary gland tumours of over 50%.

[8] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16136046 - Mobile phone use and risk of acoustic neuroma: results of the Interphone case-control study in five North European countries. "an increase in risk after longer term use or after a longer lag period could not be ruled out."

[9]  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17851009 - Cell Phones and Risk of brain and acoustic nerve tumours: the French INTERPHONE case-control study

"Our results, suggesting the possibility of an increased risk among the heaviest users, therefore need to be verified in the international INTERPHONE analyses"

[10] http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK-News/Cancer-Brain-Tumour-Leading-Cause-Of-Cancer-In-UK/Article/200907115328040?lpos=UK_News_First_Home_Article_Teaser_Region_2&lid=ARTICLE_15328040_Cancer%3A_Brain_Tumour_Leading_Cause_Of_Cancer_In_UK - Brain tumours are the biggest cause of cancer death in young men and women in the UK, according to research.