Brain tumors are increasing in Denmark
News release from Swedish Radiation Protection Foundation, January 20, 2017
Never before have so many new patients been diagnosed with a brain tumor in Denmark as in year 2015. The number of people diagnosed with tumors of the central nervous system (CNS, including brain tumors) in Denmark has more than doubled since 1990 according to new statistics and the largest increase has been in the last 10 years until 2015. Among young people aged 0-39 years, tumors in the CNS are the type of cancer that has increased the most.
According to the latest statistics from the Danish Cancer Registry that include new cancer cases diagnosed in 2015, an increasing number of people in Denmark are diagnosed with tumors of the central nervous system, CNS, including the brain, in recent years. The number of patients diagnosed per year with CNS tumors increased from the 827 in 1990 to 1807 in 2015.
The increase appears to have accelerated in the last ten years according to the data from the Danish Cancer Registry, analyzed by the Swedish Radiation Protection Foundation. The data includes both malignant and benign brain tumors. During the same period, the use of mobile phones has increased tremendously.
In addition, the number of young patients diagnosed with a CNS tumor is on the rise. Among young people under 40 years of age in Denmark, also this age group is seeing a rise in the number of diagnosed cases. CNS tumors are also increasing among the young and are now almost as common as malignant melanoma among those aged 0-39 years. CNS tumors have increased more than any other tumor type over the past ten years in this age group. In 2006, 186 young persons aged 0-39 years were reported with a CNS tumor, but in 2015 the number had increased to 271.
Ever since 2010 all studies investigating risks for brain tumors from mobile phone use over 30 minutes to one hour a day over several years have found increased risks for CNS tumors (glioma, acoustic neuroma and also meningioma).[1] Today 75% of Swedish 16 year old girls use their “smart phone” over 3 hours a day and they have been wrongly informed that there are no health risks observed, often with reference to incorrect claims about brain tumor incidence trends.
– It is unethical to wait for even more people to be diagnosed with brain tumor before the industry, government and authorities warn mobile phone users of the serious health risks with today’s intense and prolonged use, says Mona Nilsson, President of the Swedish Radiation Protection Foundation.
Read the full report from Swedish Radiation Protection Foundation. Link
Link to Danish Cancer Registry database http://esundhed.dk/sundhedsregistre/CAR/CAR01/Sider/Tabel.aspx
