Association between mobile phone use and pleomorphic adenoma of parotid gland

Abstract

OBJECTIVES : When a person talks on a mobile telephone, the salivary glands, and the parotid gland in particular, are among the areas of the body with most exposure to the phone, as they are located in front of the ear. We examined the association of parotid gland tumors with mobile phone use. This study included patients who had undergone surgical parotid gland tumor removal and whose pathology was designated as pleomorphic adenoma. The objective of this case-case study was to assess whether the use of wireless phones is associated with an increased risk or growth rate of tumors at this site. METHODS : 220 patients with parotid gland pleomorphic adenoma were included. The location and volume of the tumors were determined by enhanced neck CT scan. Patients were divided according to the amount of mobile phone use in terms of duration, daily amount, and cumulative hours. We compared the volume of tumors to the above mobile phone use parameters. Associations between the laterality of phone use and tumor location were analyzed. RESULTS : In the case-case study of all included patients, no significant difference in volume between heavy mobile phone users and light mobile phone users was observed. However, there was a strong correlation between the side of the head on which tumors were located and the side of mobile phone use (which was limited to ipsilateral users). Tumor volume and estimated cumulative hours were also strongly correlated, while tumor volume was notably larger in heavy phone users than light users (p=0.012). CONCLUSION : We found that tumor incidence might coincide with the more frequently used ear of mobile phone users and also found that tumor volume was strongly correlated with the amount of mobile phone use. Ther efore, it is possible that mobile phone use may affect tumor growth.