Coureau et al. · 2014 · occupational and environmental medicine
The reported finding
In the >=896-h recalled cumulative-call category, adjusted ORs were 2.89 (95% CI 1.41-5.93) for glioma (24 cases/22 controls in category) and 2.57 (1.02-6.44) for meningioma (13/9). Regular use overall was not significantly associated with either tumour.
Reading it carefully
Retrospective case-control association, with recall/selection bias, proxy interviews, small extreme-use cells and multiple analyses. Call duration is not absorbed dose; no harmful SAR threshold follows. Main Table 3 estimates are distinct from later laterality recalculations.
Inside the study
Exposure conditions
Recalled mobile-phone use; regular use >=one call weekly for >=six months. Main analyses exclude use in the year before diagnosis; categories based on control distribution, highest >=90th percentile.
Design & controls
France 2004-2006; 253 gliomas, 194 meningiomas, 892 matched controls. Conditional logistic models: glioma adjusted for education and ionising radiation; meningioma for education. Exposure-variable sample sizes vary.
The protection question raised
Does the heavy-use association reflect a real cancer risk or biases in recalled use and participation? It raises a long-term exposure question without converting reported call time into absorbed dose.
Source verification
Original article PDF methods, Tables 2-4 and disclosures reviewed; journal final metadata verified
Where to find the result
Original online-first PDF pp.2-3 methods; p.5 Table 3 with covariates; p.6 Table 4; p.8 funding
Editorial notices
No formal retraction/concern located in Scite and targeted publisher/DOI search. Author response DOI 10.1136/oemed-2014-102649 revisits laterality analysis; no revised laterality estimate is used here.
Funding
Fondation de France; AFSSET; Association pour la Recherche contre le Cancer; Ligue contre le Cancer; INSERM ATC Environnement et Sante.
Conflicts of interest
Authors state none.
Reviews to read alongside
Related syntheses and proposals in the separate review collection. These are topical reading links, not additional independent experiments.
Coureau G, Bouvier G, Lebailly P, Fabbro-Peray P, Gruber A, Leffondre K, Guillamo JS, Loiseau H, Mathoulin-Pélissier S, Salamon R, Baldi I. Mobile phone use and brain tumours in the CERENAT case-control study. Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 2014;71(7):514-522. doi:10.1136/oemed-2013-101754.