A study recently published by German researchers shows no link between the two

Jan 17, 2009 11:43 GMT  ·  By

A recently published study conducted by German researchers shows that the use of mobile phones does not seem to increase a person's risk of getting a certain type of cancer that is called melanoma of the eye. The study comes to contradict an earlier investigation led by the same scientists, which suggested that there might be a link between the two.

The study was conducted on around 1,600 people, and unveiled the fact that there would not be a connection between the time a person spent using a cell phone over about a decade and the chances for that person to develop melanoma of the eye, the researchers in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute stated.

Melanoma is known to be a rather aggressive type of cancer that spreads quite fast. This form of malignant disease is stated to appear in certain cells that produce the pigment called melanin, which gives color to the skin. The cells can be found in the cellular tissue of the eye as well, yet the melanoma of the eye is not met too often. Another name for the condition is uveal melanoma.

The idea that long-term use of cell phones is able to cause cancer has been a hot topic, especially given the issue of the handsets causing brain tumors. At the same time, most of the studies conducted in accordance with the matter revealed that there appeared to be no connection between the two. Moreover, there is no certain proof that the two are not linked, either.

“We did not corroborate our previous results that showed an increased risk of uveal melanoma among regular mobile phone users,” Dr. Andreas Stang of the Martin-Luther-University of Halle-Wittenberg in Germany wrote in the journal. “Uncertainty exists about the role, if any, of radio waves transmitted by radio sets or mobile phones in human carcinogenesis (cancer development),” the researchers added.