Mobile phones do not cause eye cancer

The use of mobile telephones does not increase the risk of uveal melanoma, according to a study published online ahead of print by the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Andreas Stang, MD, MPH of the Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany and colleagues conducted a case-control study of uveal melanoma patients (n=459) and control subjects (n=1194) drawn from the general population, melanoma patients’ siblings and ophthalmologists’ offices. The team used a questionnaire to assess any correlation between melanoma and self-assessed mobile phone use (regular, sporadic and never).

The researchers found that, even among regular mobile telephone users, the incidence of uveal melanoma development was similar to that among the control group: odds ratio (OR) = 0.7, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.5 to 1.0 versus population control subjects; OR = 1.1, 95% CI = 0.6 to 2.3 versus ophthalmologist control subjects; and OR = 1.2, 95% CI =0.5 to 2.6 versus sibling control subjects.

Thus the researchers concluded that, up to ten years, mobile telephone use is not correlated with an increased risk of uveal melanoma. This conclusion is in contrast to earlier study results showing a relationship between mobile phone exposure and melanoma development.