Neurology -- Correspondence for Christensen et al., 64 (7) 1189-1195

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H. Collatz Christensen, J. Schüz, M. Kosteljanetz, H. Skovgaard Poulsen, J. D. Boice, Jr, J. K. McLaughlin, and C. Johansen
Cellular telephones and risk for brain tumors: A population-based, incident case-control study
Neurology 2005; 64: 1189-1195 [Abstract] [Full text] [PDF]

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Cellular telephones and risk for brain tumors: A population-based, incident case-control study: Brian D. Gale, David Juran, Ph.D. (20 July 2005)

Cellular telephones and risk for brain tumors: A population-based, incident case-control study 20 July 2005

Brian D. Gale,
SUNY Health Sciences Center at Brooklyn
University Hospital of Brooklyn, Box 1208, 450 Clarkson Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11203,
David Juran, Ph.D.
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Re: Cellular telephones and risk for brain tumors: A population-based, incident case-control study

bgale{at}downstate.edu Brian D. Gale, et al.

Christensen et al attempt to determine whether cellular telephone use increases the incidence of brain tumors. [1]
The authors recruited Danish patients with known gliomas and meningiomas. They also recruited matched control patients, and compared the incidence, intensity and duration of cell phone use between the two groups. When no significant difference was demonstrated, the authors concluded that cellular telephones do not increase the risk of developing these brain tumors.
The construction of this study does not support this conclusion. This study was not designed to provide data which could determine if cell phone users have a higher risk of malignancy than people who do not use cell phones. Rather, the study provides data which indicate whether patients with gliomas and meningiomas have a higher “risk” of using cellular telephones. Since most brain tumors are not caused by cell phone use, the answer does little to tell us about whether cell phone use increased the risk of cancer.
Perhaps a more useful research design would have included a control group of persons who do not use cell phones (or who use them relatively infrequently) and an experimental group of frequent cell phone users. This might have provided a more valid context for testing for any difference in the incidence of gliomas and meningiomas between the two groups. It may be that this analysis could be performed using a subset of Dr. Christensen's existing data.
The authors of this Correspondence report no conflicts of interest.
References
1. Christensen HC,Schüz J, Kosteljanetz M, et al. Cellular telephones and risk for brain tumors: A population-based, incident case-control study. Neurology, 2005; 64:1189-1195.
The authors of the article had the opportunity to respond to this Correspondence but declined.