Browsing by Author "Auvinen, Anssi"
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- ItemEpidemiological risk assessment of mobile phones and cancer: where can we improve?(2006-11-19) Auvinen, Anssi; Toivo, Tim; Tokola, KariThis paper aims to provide an overview of factors affecting the validity of epidemiological studies on health effects of mobile phone use A qualitative review of published studies is presented covering both risk assessment and exposure assessment Considerable random error is likely to have occurred in studies carried out so far primarily related to exposure assessment Self reported use of mobile phone appears to be imprecise The relationship between the amount of mobile phone use and the radio frequency field is unclear Several factors affect the strength of the radio frequency field emitted by the phone and accommodating their effect has the potential to improve exposure assessment The major opportunity to improve the quality of evidence is however through prospective studies The major limitation of epidemiological studies addressing the health effects of mobile phone use is related to exposure assessment These limitations are inherent in case control studies Quality of evidence can be improved by conducting prospective cohort studies
- ItemIncidence trends of adult primary intracerebral tumors in four Nordic countries.(2003-12-03) Lönn, Stefan; Klaeboe, Lars; Hall, Per; Mathiesen, Tiit; Auvinen, Anssi; Christensen, Helle C; Johansen, Christoffer; Salminen, Tiina; Tynes, Tore; Feychting, MariaBrain tumors are some of the most lethal adult cancers and there is a concern that the incidence is increasing It has been suggested that the reported increased incidence can be explained by improvements in diagnostic procedures although this has not been totally resolved The aim of our study was to describe the incidence trends of adult primary intracerebral tumors in four Nordic countries during a period with introduction of new diagnostic procedures and increasing prevalence of mobile phone users Information about benign and malignant primary intracerebral tumor cases 20 79 years of age was obtained from the national cancer registries in Denmark Finland Norway and Sweden for the years 1969 98 and estimates of person years at risk were calculated from the information obtained from national population registries Annual age standardized incidence rates per 100 000 person years were calculated and time trends analyses were carried out using Poisson regression The overall incidence of all intracerebral tumors ranged from 8 4 11 8 for men and 5 8 9 3 for women corresponding to an average annual increase of 0 6 for men 95 confidence interval CI 0 4 0 7 and 0 9 for women 95 CI 0 7 1 0 The increase in the incidence was confined to the late 1970s and early 1980s and coinciding with introduction of improved diagnostic methods This increase was largely confined to the oldest age group After 1983 and during the period with increasing prevalence of mobile phone users the incidence has remained relatively stable for both men and women
- ItemAn international prospective cohort study of mobile phone users and health (Cosmos): design considerations and enrolment.(2011-02-18) Schüz, Joachim; Elliott, Paul; Auvinen, Anssi; Kromhout, Hans; Poulsen, Aslak Harbo; Johansen, Christoffer; Olsen, Jørgen H; Hillert, Lena; Feychting, Maria; Fremling, Karin; Toledano, Mireille; Heinävaara, Sirpa; Slottje, Pauline; Vermeulen, Roel; Ahlbom, AndersThere is continuing public and scientific interest in the possibility that exposure to radiofrequency RF electromagnetic fields EMF from mobile telephones or other wireless devices and applications might increase the risk of certain cancers or other diseases The interest is amplified by the rapid world wide penetration of such technologies The evidence from epidemiological studies published to date have not been consistent and in particular further studies are required to identify whether longer term well beyond 10 years RF exposure might pose some health risk
- ItemThe INTERPHONE study: design, epidemiological methods, and description of the study population.(2007-09-12) Cardis, Elisabeth; Richardson, Lesley; Deltour, Isabelle; Armstrong, Bruce; Feychting, Maria; Johansen, Christoffer; Kilkenny, Monique; McKinney, Patricia; Modan, Baruch; Sadetzki, Siegal; Schüz, Joachim; Swerdlow, Anthony; Vrijheid, Martine; Auvinen, Anssi; Berg, Gabriele; Blettner, Maria; Bowman, Joseph; Brown, Julianne; Chetrit, Angela; Christensen, Helle Collatz; Cook, Angus; Hepworth, Sarah; Giles, Graham; Hours, Martine; Iavarone, Ivano; Jarus-Hakak, Avital; Klaeboe, Lars; Krewski, Daniel; Lagorio, Susanna; Lönn, Stefan; Mann, Simon; McBride, Mary; Muir, Kenneth; Nadon, Louise; Parent, Marie-Elise; Pearce, Neil; Salminen, Tiina; Schoemaker, Minouk; Schlehofer, Brigitte; Siemiatycki, Jack; Taki, Masao; Takebayashi, Toru; Tynes, Tore; van Tongeren, Martie; Vecchia, Paolo; Wiart, Joe; Woodward, Alistair; Yamaguchi, NaohitoThe very rapid worldwide increase in mobile phone use in the last decade has generated considerable interest in the possible health effects of exposure to radio frequency RF fields A multinational case control study INTERPHONE was set up to investigate whether mobile phone use increases the risk of cancer and more specifically whether the RF fields emitted by mobile phones are carcinogenic The study focused on tumours arising in the tissues most exposed to RF fields from mobile phones glioma meningioma acoustic neurinoma and parotid gland tumours In addition to a detailed history of mobile phone use information was collected on a number of known and potential risk factors for these tumours The study was conducted in 13 countries Australia Canada Denmark Finland France Germany Israel Italy Japan New Zealand Norway Sweden and the UK using a common core protocol This paper describes the study design and methods and the main characteristics of the study population INTERPHONE is the largest case control study to date investigating risks related to mobile phone use and to other potential risk factors for the tumours of interest and includes 2 765 glioma 2 425 meningioma 1 121 acoustic neurinoma 109 malignant parotid gland tumour cases and 7 658 controls Particular attention was paid to estimating the amount and direction of potential recall and participation biases and their impact on the study results
- ItemLocation of gliomas in relation to mobile telephone use: a case-case and case-specular analysis.(2011-06-22) Larjavaara, Suvi; Schüz, Joachim; Swerdlow, Anthony; Feychting, Maria; Johansen, Christoffer; Lagorio, Susanna; Tynes, Tore; Klaeboe, Lars; Tonjer, Sven Reidar; Blettner, Maria; Berg-Beckhoff, Gabriele; Schlehofer, Brigitte; Schoemaker, Minouk; Britton, Juliet; Mäntylä, Riitta; Lönn, Stefan; Ahlbom, Anders; Flodmark, Olof; Lilja, Anders; Martini, Stefano; Rastelli, Emanuela; Vidiri, Antonello; Kähärä, Veikko; Raitanen, Jani; Heinävaara, Sirpa; Auvinen, AnssiThe energy absorbed from the radio frequency fields of mobile telephones depends strongly on distance from the source The authors objective in this study was to evaluate whether gliomas occur preferentially in the areas of the brain having the highest radio frequency exposure The authors used 2 approaches In a case case analysis tumor locations were compared with varying exposure levels in a case specular analysis a hypothetical reference location was assigned for each glioma and the distances from the actual and specular locations to the handset were compared The study included 888 gliomas from 7 European countries 2000 2004 with tumor midpoints defined on a 3 dimensional grid based on radiologic images The case case analyses were carried out using unconditional logistic regression whereas in the case specular analysis conditional logistic regression was used In the case case analyses tumors were located closest to the source of exposure among never regular and contralateral users but not statistically significantly In the case specular analysis the mean distances between exposure source and location were similar for cases and speculars These results do not suggest that gliomas in mobile phone users are preferentially located in the parts of the brain with the highest radio frequency fields from mobile phones
- ItemMeta-analysis of mobile phone use and intracranial tumors.(2006-06-28) Lahkola, Anna; Tokola, Kari; Auvinen, AnssiA summary of epidemiologic evidence regarding the effect of mobile phone use on intracranial tumor risk was obtained by means of a meta analysis
- ItemMobile phone use and incidence of glioma in the Nordic countries 1979-2008: consistency check.(2012-02-09) Deltour, Isabelle; Auvinen, Anssi; Feychting, Maria; Johansen, Christoffer; Klaeboe, Lars; Sankila, Risto; Schüz, JoachimSome case control studies have reported increased risks of glioma associated with mobile phone use If true this would ultimately affect the time trends for incidence rates IRs Correspondingly lack of change in IRs would exclude certain magnitudes of risk We investigated glioma IR trends in the Nordic countries and compared the observed with expected incidence rates under various risk scenarios
- ItemMobile phone use and location of glioma: a case-case analysis.(2009-03-02) Hartikka, Hanna; Heinävaara, Sirpa; Mäntylä, Riitta; Kähärä, Veikko; Kurttio, Päivi; Auvinen, AnssiWe assessed a new approach for evaluating the glioma risk among users of mobile phones to focus on the part of the brain most heavily exposed to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields from mobile phones The tumor midpoint was defined from radiological imaging A case case analysis with 99 gliomas was performed using logistic regression The exposed cases were those with the tumor mid point within 4 6 cm from the line between the mouth and the external meatus of the ear representing the most likely location of the mobile phone the source of exposure Alternative analyses based on various indicators of mobile phone use as the outcome were also carried out The majority of cases were regular mobile phone users A slightly higher proportion of gliomas among mobile phone users than non users occurred within 4 6 cm from the presumed location of the mobile phone 28 vs 14 Modestly elevated odds ratios were observed for several indicators of mobile phone use but without an exposure gradient The highest odds ratios were found for contralateral and short term use Our results though limited by the small sample size demonstrate that detailed information on tumor location allows evaluation of the risk related to the most heavily exposed part of the brain representing direct evaluation of the possible local carcinogenic effects of the radiofrequency fields However field strength varies between users and over time also within a given anatomic site due to the output power of the phone Collaborative analysis of a larger sample is planned
- ItemMobile phone use and risk of glioma in 5 North European countries.(2007-03-13) Lahkola, Anna; Auvinen, Anssi; Raitanen, Jani; Schoemaker, Minouk J; Christensen, Helle C; Feychting, Maria; Johansen, Christoffer; Klaeboe, Lars; Lönn, Stefan; Swerdlow, Anthony J; Tynes, Tore; Salminen, TiinaPublic concern has been expressed about the possible adverse health effects of mobile telephones mainly related to intracranial tumors We conducted a population based case control study to investigate the relationship between mobile phone use and risk of glioma among 1 522 glioma patients and 3 301 controls We found no evidence of increased risk of glioma related to regular mobile phone use odds ratio OR 0 78 95 confidence interval CI 0 68 0 91 No significant association was found across categories with duration of use years since first use cumulative number of calls or cumulative hours of use When the linear trend was examined the OR for cumulative hours of mobile phone use was 1 006 1 002 1 010 per 100 hr but no such relationship was found for the years of use or the number of calls We found no increased risks when analogue and digital phones were analyzed separately For more than 10 years of mobile phone use reported on the side of the head where the tumor was located an increased OR of borderline statistical significance OR 1 39 95 CI 1 01 1 92 p trend 0 04 was found whereas similar use on the opposite side of the head resulted in an OR of 0 98 95 CI 0 71 1 37 Although our results overall do not indicate an increased risk of glioma in relation to mobile phone use the possible risk in the most heavily exposed part of the brain with long term use needs to be explored further before firm conclusions can be drawn
- Item[Mobile phones radiate--risk to the health?].(2011-10-14) Jokela, Kari; Auvinen, Anssi; Hämäläinen, HeikkiThe mobile phones radiate electromagnetic energy which is partly absorbed into the tissues in the vicinity of the phone The minor heating in maximum up to 0 3 degrees C may cause some alterations in the expression of genes and proteins similar to physiological response to other stimuli Biophysical studies at the cellular and molecular level have not revealed any well established interaction mechanism through which mobile phone radiation could induce toxic effects below the thermal effect level Research results on various biological effects in vitro and in vivo are continuously published but there is no consistent evidence on well established harmful effects The mobile phone radiation is not carcinogenic for experimental animals or genotoxic for cells According to epidemiological studies and psychophysiological brain function studies the use of mobile phones does not seem to increase the risk of tumors in the head and brain or disturb the function of central nervous system However there is a need for more research on the long term effects of mobile phone radiation particularly on children
- ItemMultiple approaches and participation rate for a community based smoking cessation intervention trial in rural Kerala, India.(2013-06-27) Jayakrishnan, Radhakrishnan; Mathew, Aleyamma; Uutela, Antti; Auvinen, Anssi; Sebastian, PaulBACKGROUND To illustrate multiple approaches and to assess participation rates adopted for a community based smoking cessation intervention programme in rural Kerala MATERIALS AND METHODS Resident males in the age group 18 60 years who were current daily smokers from 4 randomly allocated community development blocks of rural Thiruvananthapuram district Kerala 2 intervention and 2 control groups were selected Smoking status was assessed through house to house survey using trained volunteers Multiple approaches included awareness on tobacco hazards during baseline survey and distribution of multicolour anti tobacco leaflets for intervention and control groups Further the intervention group received a tobacco cessation booklet and four sessions of counselling which included a one time group counselling cum medical camp followed by proactive counselling through face to face FTF interview and mobile phone In the second and fourth session motivational counselling was conducted RESULTS Among 928 smokers identified smokers in intervention and control groups numbered 474 mean age 44 6 years SD 9 66 years and 454 respectively 44 5 years SD 10 30 years Among the 474 subjects 75 16 had attended the group counselling cum medical camp after completion of baseline survey in the intervention group Among the remaining subjects n 399 88 were contacted through FTF and mobile phone 8 5 In the second session 4 6 weeks time period the response rate for individual counselling was 94 78 through FTF and 16 through mobile phone At 3 months 70 4 were contacted by their mobile phone and further 19 6 through FTF total 90 while at 6 months fourth session the response rate was 74 and 16 4 for FTF and mobile phone respectively covering 90 4 of the total subjects Overall in the intervention group 97 4 of subjects were being contacted at least once and individual counselling given CONCLUSION Proactive community centred intervention programmes using multiple approaches were found to be successful to increase the participation rate for intervention
- ItemQuantifying the impact of selection bias caused by nonparticipation in a case-control study of mobile phone use.(2008-12-09) Vrijheid, Martine; Richardson, Lesley; Armstrong, Bruce K; Auvinen, Anssi; Berg, Gabriele; Carroll, Matthew; Chetrit, Angela; Deltour, Isabelle; Feychting, Maria; Giles, Graham G; Hours, Martine; Iavarone, Ivano; Lagorio, Susanna; Lönn, Stefan; McBride, Mary; Parent, Marie-Elise; Sadetzki, Siegal; Salminen, Tina; Sanchez, Marie; Schlehofer, Birgitte; Schüz, Joachim; Siemiatycki, Jack; Tynes, Tore; Woodward, Alistair; Yamaguchi, Naohito; Cardis, ElisabethTo quantitatively assess the impact of selection bias caused by nonparticipation in a multinational case control study of mobile phone use and brain tumor
- ItemReducing overestimation in reported mobile phone use associated with epidemiological studies.(2008-09-11) Tokola, Kari; Kurttio, Päivi; Salminen, Tiina; Auvinen, AnssiCase control studies of mobile phones are commonly based on retrospective self reported exposure information which are often characterized as involving substantial uncertainty concerning data validity We assessed the validity of self reported mobile phone use and developed a statistical model to account for the over reporting of exposure We collected information on mobile phone use from 70 volunteers using two sources of data self report in an interview and network operator records We used regression models to obtain bias corrected estimates of exposure A correlation coefficient of 0 71 was obtained between the self reported and the network operators data on average calling time log transformed minutes per month A simple linear regression model where the duration of calls acquired from network operators is explained with the self reported duration fitted the data reasonably well adjusted R 2 0 51 The constant term was 2 71 and the regression coefficient 0 49 logarithmic scale No significant improvement in the model fit was achieved by including potential predictors of accuracy in self reported exposure estimates such as the pattern of mobile phone use the modality of response to the questionnaire or demographic characteristics Overestimation in self reported intensity of mobile phone use can be accounted for by the use of regression calibration The estimates obtained in our study may not be applicable in other contexts but similar methods could be used to reduce bias in other studies
- ItemSelection bias due to differential participation in a case-control study of mobile phone use and brain tumors.(2005-04-20) Lahkola, Anna; Salminen, Tiina; Auvinen, AnssiTo evaluate the possible selection bias related to the differential participation of mobile phone users and non users in a Finnish case control study on mobile phone use and brain tumors
- ItemSystematic review of wireless phone use and brain cancer and other head tumors.(2012-03-05) Repacholi, Michael H; Lerchl, Alexander; Röösli, Martin; Sienkiewicz, Zenon; Auvinen, Anssi; Breckenkamp, Jürgen; d'Inzeo, Guglielmo; Elliott, Paul; Frei, Patrizia; Heinrich, Sabine; Lagroye, Isabelle; Lahkola, Anna; McCormick, David L; Thomas, Silke; Vecchia, PaoloWe conducted a systematic review of scientific studies to evaluate whether the use of wireless phones is linked to an increased incidence of the brain cancer glioma or other tumors of the head meningioma acoustic neuroma and parotid gland originating in the areas of the head that most absorb radiofrequency RF energy from wireless phones Epidemiology and in vivo studies were evaluated according to an agreed protocol quality criteria were used to evaluate the studies for narrative synthesis but not for meta analyses or pooling of results The epidemiology study results were heterogeneous with sparse data on long term use 10 years Meta analyses of the epidemiology studies showed no statistically significant increase in risk defined as P Under 0 05 for adult brain cancer or other head tumors from wireless phone use Analyses of the in vivo oncogenicity tumor promotion and genotoxicity studies also showed no statistically significant relationship between exposure to RF fields and genotoxic damage to brain cells or the incidence of brain cancers or other tumors of the head Assessment of the review results using the Hill criteria did not support a causal relationship between wireless phone use and the incidence of adult cancers in the areas of the head that most absorb RF energy from the use of wireless phones There are insufficient data to make any determinations about longer term use 10 years
- ItemTime trends in brain tumor incidence rates in Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden, 1974-2003.(2009-12-16) Deltour, Isabelle; Johansen, Christoffer; Auvinen, Anssi; Feychting, Maria; Klaeboe, Lars; Schüz, JoachimIn Denmark Finland Norway and Sweden the use of mobile phones increased sharply in the mid 1990s thus time trends in brain tumor incidence after 1998 may provide information about possible tumor risks associated with mobile phone use We investigated time trends in the incidence of glioma and meningioma in Denmark Finland Norway and Sweden from 1974 to 2003 using data from national cancer registries We used joinpoint regression models to analyze the annual incidence rates of glioma and meningioma During this period 59 984 men and women aged 20 79 years were diagnosed with brain tumors in a population of 16 million adults All statistical tests were two sided From 1974 to 2003 the incidence rate of glioma increased by 0 5 per year 95 confidence interval CI 0 2 to 0 8 among men and by 0 2 per year 95 CI 0 1 to 0 5 among women and that of meningioma increased by 0 8 per year 95 CI 0 4 to 1 3 among men and after the early 1990s by 3 8 per year 95 CI 3 2 to 4 4 among women No change in incidence trends were observed from 1998 to 2003 the time when possible associations between mobile phone use and cancer risk would be informative about an induction period of 5 10 years
- ItemValidation of exposure assessment and assessment of recruitment methods for a prospective cohort study of mobile phone users (COSMOS) in Finland: a pilot study.(2011-03-22) Heinävaara, Sirpa; Tokola, Kari; Kurttio, Päivi; Auvinen, AnssiThe aim of the study was to evaluate the agreement between self reported and operator derived estimates of call time based on a three month monitoring period as well as the consistency of mobile phone use over time Alternative approaches to improve participation in a cohort study of mobile phone users were also compared