- With Mayo Clinic medical oncologist
Timothy Moynihan, M.D.
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Timothy Moynihan, M.D.
Timothy Moynihan, M.D.
"As a practicing medical oncologist, I meet with patients and families every day to help manage their course through this disease called cancer. This experience provides unique insight into the needs of cancer patients, their families and loved ones and brings into sharp focus the need for reliable information to be readily available in terms that can be easily understood." — Dr. Timothy Moynihan
Dr. Timothy Moynihan believes that providing consumers accurate, timely information on the broad, complex topic of cancer is the biggest challenge facing medical Web sites. As the guiding force behind our cancer coverage, he makes sure Mayo Clinic meets the test.
Dr. Moynihan, born in Las Vegas, N.M., but raised in Denver, is a consultant in medical oncology at Mayo Clinic and an associate professor at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine. He is board certified in internal medicine, medical oncology, and hospice and palliative care medicine. He did his medical oncology training at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, and then went on to the University of Minnesota and St. Paul Regions Medical Center in St. Paul, Minn., for seven years before moving to Mayo Clinic in 1999. Dr. Moynihan is director of the palliative care program at Mayo Clinic and associate medical director of the Mayo Clinic hospice.
Dr. Moynihan currently serves as the education chair for the Department of Medical Oncology and fellowship program director. Four times he has been selected as Teacher of the Year in medical oncology and elected to the Teacher of the Year Hall of Fame. Past honors include distinguished clinical teacher at the University of Minnesota Medical School, best internist at the Medical College of Wisconsin and recipient of The Upjohn Achievement Award for Excellence in Medicine. He serves on several national committees for the American Society of Clinical Oncology.
"The Internet provides a ready source of information on a wide range of topics of interest to those affected by cancer," Dr. Moynihan says. "The difficulty is trying to decide which sites provide reputable information and which information is relevant to each individual patient. The long history and tradition of excellence associated with Mayo Clinic assures you that information provided will be reliable, up-to-date and comprehensive."
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Question
Cell phones and cancer: What's the risk?
Is there any link between cell phones and cancer?
Answer
from Timothy Moynihan, M.D.
The possible connection between cell phones and cancer is controversial. Years' worth of studies on cell phones and cancer have yielded conflicting results. Currently, there's no consensus about the degree of cancer risk — if any — posed by cell phone use.
The primary concern seems to be the development of brain tumors associated with cell phone use. Some research suggests a slight increase in the rate of brain tumors since the 1970s, but these subtle increases are likely related to other factors — such as increased access to medical care and improvements in diagnostic imaging, as well as a minor but real increase in brain lymphomas partly due to HIV and other conditions affecting the immune system. In fact, it would be impossible for cell phones to be the cause of any increase in brain tumors in the 1970s because cell phones weren't in use at the time.
So what have researchers learned about cell phones and cancer? In one recent study that followed more than 420,000 cell phone users over a 20-year period, researchers found no evidence of a link between cell phones and brain tumors. Another recent study suggested an association between cell phone use and cancer of the salivary glands. However, only a small number of study participants had malignant tumors, and there was a clear increase in the use of tobacco — a well-known cause of salivary gland cancer — among these participants.
Still, a series of recent studies can't tell the entire story. It often takes many years between the use of a new cancer-causing agent — such as tobacco — and the observation of an increase in cancer rates. At this point, it's possible that too little time has passed to detect an increase in cancer rates directly attributable to cell phone use.
The bottom line? For now, no one knows if cell phones are capable of causing cancer. Although long-term studies are ongoing, to date there's no convincing evidence that cell phone use increases the risk of cancer. If you're concerned about the possible link between cell phones and cancer, consider limiting your use of cell phones — or use a headset that places the cell phone antenna farther from your body.
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