Brain Cancers Relation to Cell Phones

By Morgan Sandler, Lainie Schroeder, and Kelsey Pacetti

What is cancer?

Cancerisanabnormalcellgrowthwithinthebody.Asthesecellsgrow,theybegintotakethenutrients
fromthehealthycellsaroundit,killingthosehealthycells.Thecellsgrowintoatumorwhichmayor
maynotbecancerous.

What is brain cancer?

Brain cancer is when a tumor forms in the brain.

Primary: Primary brain cancer is when the cancer forms in the brain.
Secondary: Secondary brain cancer is when the cancer travels from a different part of the body
to the brain.

Not all brain tumors are cancerous.

Benign tumors: Benign tumors are noncancerous, but they can still cause some damage,
primarily to the brain tissue.
Malignant tumors: Malignant tumors are cancerous and very aggressive.

Are there different types of brain cancer?

The different types of brain tumors are categorized by location in the brain or spinal cord.



[Image taken from www.childrensnational.org]

What are the symptoms of brain cancer?

Symptoms of brain cancer vary on the location.

What are the causes of brain cancer?

Age
Chemicals
Radiation
Genetic Conditions
Environmental Factors
History of Cancer
Occupational Factors
How is brain cancer treated?

Brain cancer can be treated many different ways.

Surgery
Radiation therapy

There are several different kinds of radiation therapy.

External: This therapy targets only the tumor, not the healthy brain tissue.
Internal: A capsule is inserted into the tumor. It gives off radiation which destroys the tumor.
Stereotactic radiosurgery: In this therapy, high energy rays target the tumor from several
angles.

Some of these therapies are done several times while others are done only once. The recovery time
for each of these therapies differs.

How many people are diagnosed with brain cancer a year?

Over 190,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with primary or secondary brain cancer every
year.

Why are cell phones suspected of causing brain cancer?

It is theorized that when the cellular phone is held up to the ear, the radiofrequency waves create a
harmful, low electromagnetic radiation that could harm the body and the brain, and potentially create
a tumor in the brain.




What evidence is there to support the theory that they do?

Of all the websites viewed and scientific journals read, there is no pure and conclusive evidence
saying that cell phones cause brain cancer. However, there are several studies that suggest that over
ten years of talking on the phone (with the phone held up to your ear, rather than via Bluetooth,
speakerphone, etc.) could potentially create a tumor in the brain, causing brain cancer.

What evidence is there to support the theory that they dont?

Many people in the world have cell phones, but there has not been an increase in brain cancer since
the late 1900s when new machinery was created to find brain cancer.

According to studies, nothing has shown any correlation between cellphones and brain cancer. In fact,
several studies have revealed brain tumors on the opposite side of which they use their cell phones.


How did the theory that cell phones cause cancer appear?

Itfirstcametopublicattentionin1993byamanwhoappearedonatvtalkshowandclaimedhiswifes
braintumorwascausedbyRF(radiofrequency)radiationfromhercellphone.