Epidemiological study (observational study)

Environmental risk factors for sporadic acoustic neuroma (Interphone Study Group, Germany) epidem.

By: Schlehofer B, Schlaefer K, Blettner M, Berg G, Bohler E, Hettinger I, Kunna-Grass K, Wahrendorf J, Schüz J

Published in: Eur J Cancer 2007; 43 (11): 1741-1747

Aim of study (acc. to author)

Environmental risk factors for sporadic acoustic neuroma were investigated in a population-based case-control study in Germany.

Further details

This study is part of the INTERPHONE project.
Acoustic neuroma occurs in two forms: a sporadic, mostly unilateral form and a hereditary, mostly bilateral form.
Regular use of cellular phone was defined as at least one incoming or outgoing call per week for 6 months or more.

Endpoint/type of risk estimation

brain tumor: acoustic neuroma

Type of risk estimation:

incidence

(odds ratio (OR))

Exposure

- also other exposures without EMF
- mobile communications
- analog mobile phone
- digital mobile phone
- occupational
- personal

Assessment

questionnaire: mobile phone use, date of first use, number of calls and duration of calls, use of cordless phones or other transmitters
job exposure matrix: occupational RF-EMF

Exposure groups

Group	Description
Reference group 1	regular mobile phone use: never
Group 2	regular mobile phone use: ever
Reference group 3	time since first regular use: never or < 1 year
Group 4	time since first regular use: 1 - 4 years
Group 5	time since first regular use: 5 - 9 years
Group 6	time since first regular use: ≥ 10 years
Reference group 7	life-time number of calls: never use
Group 8	life-time number of calls: ≤ 1176
Group 9	life-time number of calls: > 1176 - ≤ 4350
Group 10	life-time number of calls: > 4350
Reference group 11	life-time duration of calls: never use
Group 12	life-time duration of calls: ≤ 44 hours
Group 13	life-time duration of calls: > 44 - ≤ 195 hours
Group 14	life-time duration of calls: > 195 hours
Reference group 15	specified occupational exposure: not or not highly exposed
Group 16	specified occupational exposure: highly exposed

Population

Group:
- men
- women
Age: 30–69 years
Observation period: October 2000 - October 2003
Study location: Germany (4 study regions)

Case group

Characteristics: acoustic neuroma, histologically confirmed
Data source: neurosurgical clinics in Bielefeld, Heidelberg, Mainz and Mannheim, Germany
Exclusion criteria: insufficient knowledge of the German language, main residence outside the study region

Control group

Selection:
- population-based
Matching:
- sex
- age
- area
- case:control = 1:2
Exclusion criteria: insufficient knowledge of the German language, main residence outside the study region

Study size

	Cases	Controls
Eligible	105	368
Participants	97	202
Participation rate	89 %	55 %
Evaluable	97	194

Statistical analysis method:

conditional logistic regression

(adjustment:

age
sex
socioeconomic status
study center, living in an urban area (≥ 100,000 inhabitants versus & lt; 100,000)

)

Results (acc. to author)

No increased risk was observed for acoustic neuroma and a regular use of mobile phones. A non-significantly increased risk was found for high occupational RF-EMF, but the analysis was based on very small numbers of highly exposed persons (7 cases and 10 controls).
Exposure to RF-EMF was not associated with the risk of acoustic neuoma.

Study funded by

Bundesamt für Strahlenschutz (BfS; Federal Office for Radiation Protection), Salzgitter, Germany
Bundesministerium für Umwelt, Naturschutz und Reaktorsicherheit (Federal Ministry of the Environment, Nature Conservation, and Nuclear Safety), Germany
Deutsches Mobilfunk Forschungsprogramm (DMF; German Mobile Phone Research Programme) at Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS)
International Union against Cancer (UICC; Union Internationale Contre le Cancer), Switzerland
MAIFOR Program (Mainzer Forschungsförderungsprogramm) of the University of Mainz, Germany
Ministerium für Umwelt und Naturschutz, Landwirtschaft und Verbraucherschutz, Nordrhein-Westfalen (Ministry for the Environment of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia), Germany
Ministerium für Umwelt und Verkehr, Baden-Württemberg (Ministry for the Environment and Traffic of the state of Baden-Württemberg), Germany
Quality of Life and Management of Living Resources program of European Union

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