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This is interesting but doesn't prove there is no link, as brain cancer is very infrequent, trying to show the incidence increasing by studying hundreds of thou

This is interesting but doesn't prove there is no link, as brain cancer is very infrequent, trying to show the incidence increasing by studying hundreds of thousands of people is actually not the most accurate method. It's more logical to investigate it in the following way: Look at people who have brain cancer, and see if it's more likely to be on the side of the head where the person uses their mobile phone. If statistically significant, then it's a much easier way to prove a link. This link has been shown in this study http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15475713 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15475713 for acoustic neuromas. This doesn't mean for all brain cancer and doesn't mean it's a strong effect. But if you are studying brain cancer, you have to compare apples to apples, and this study, whilst useful doesn't prove that there is link to brain cancer it only proves that they did not find a link. A more precise study is more effective.

zdw 15y ago
I'm not sure if there's a causal link in this case. It could also be argued that, because the acoustic neurons on that side of the head are being used more, they're more likely to be cancerous, or that both are caused by a similar issue. For example, left handed women are more likely to have breast cancer, and a similar minor preference like which ear you use for a phone might correlate with health issues.
- donaldc 15y ago
  It could also be argued that, because the acoustic neurons on that side of the head are being used more, they're more likely to be cancerous, or that both are caused by a similar issue. That sounds pretty convoluted to me. It could be true, but it probably isn't. If, as the paper abstract seems to indicate, long-term (but not short-term) cellphone users are getting fourfold more acoustic neuroma on the side of the head they use their cellphone on, as compared with the other side of their head, I'd say that the most likely explanation is that cellphone use is responsible.

zdw 15y ago

I'm not sure if there's a causal link in this case. It could also be argued that, because the acoustic neurons on that side of the head are being used more, they're more likely to be cancerous, or that both are caused by a similar issue. For example, left handed women are more likely to have breast cancer, and a similar minor preference like which ear you use for a phone might correlate with health issues.

donaldc 15y ago
It could also be argued that, because the acoustic neurons on that side of the head are being used more, they're more likely to be cancerous, or that both are caused by a similar issue. That sounds pretty convoluted to me. It could be true, but it probably isn't. If, as the paper abstract seems to indicate, long-term (but not short-term) cellphone users are getting fourfold more acoustic neuroma on the side of the head they use their cellphone on, as compared with the other side of their head, I'd say that the most likely explanation is that cellphone use is responsible.