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Thyroid Cancer, Genetic Variations, and Cell Phones Linked in New Yale School of Public Health Study
Cellphone radiation is associated with higher rates of thyroid cancer in people with genetic variations in specific genes, according to a new study from the Yale School of Public Health. Researchers examined more than 900 people in Connecticut and found that those with certain single nucleotide polymorphisms (genetic variations commonly known as SNPs and pronounced as "snips") were significantly more likely to develop thyroid cancer, a throat gland that controls metabolism. Cellphone users with SNPs in four of the genes studied were more than twice as likely to develop cancer. Researchers examined a total of 176 genes and identified 10 SNPs that appear to increase the risk of thyroid cancer in cellphone users.
Published in the journal Environmental Research, the study is believed to be the first to examine the combined influence of genetic susceptibility and cell phone use in relation to thyroid cancer. “Our study provides evidence that genetic susceptibility influences the relationship between cell phone use and thyroid cancer,” said Yawei Zhang, MD, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at the Yale School of Public Health. "More studies are needed to identify populations sensitive to radio frequency radiation (RFR) and understand exposure to RFR from different patterns of cell phone use."
Our study provides evidence that genetic susceptibility influences the relationship between
cell phone use and thyroid cancer.
- Yawei Zhang
The findings suggest that genetic susceptibilities play an important role in mobile phone use and the risk of developing thyroid cancer and may help identify subgroups potentially at risk. Further research is needed to confirm the findings and better understand the interaction between cell phone radiation and SNPs within specific genes.
Thyroid cancer rates have been steadily increasing in the United States. States and many other parts of the world, Zhang said. According to the latest report from the American Cancer Society, there have been nearly 53,000 new cases of thyroid cancer in the United States, resulting in 2,180 deaths. Thyroid cancer is three times more common in women and is diagnosed at a younger age than most other cancers.
Zhang noted that the study was based on data collected from 2010 to 2011, when smartphones were first introduced to the market. Back then, only a small proportion of people owned a smartphone. Therefore, if cell phone use increased the risk of thyroid cancer, it may have been due to the use of earlier generation cell phones that were more commonly used at the time of data collection.</ p>
Additionally, the transition to smart phones has also brought about a major change in the way cell phones are used (e.g. texting versus phone calls). As a result, the results of this current study warrant further evaluation in future studies, she said.
Of the other Yale School of Public Health researchers involved in the study include Jiajun Luo, Hang Li, Nicole Deziel, Huang Huang and Shuangge Ma. Researchers from China and Florida also co-authored the study.
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