Glioblastoma on the rise? Cell phones? (1 Viewer)

[Da Guru]

3-4 years ago I had never heard of this type of aggressive brain tumor.   This morning the 5th person in the last 2 years I know passed away from it.  When I say "I know" 2 were guys I played ball with when I was in my 20s, 2 were relatives of friends and now a lady my wife works with passed this morning at 48 years of age. All lasted less than a year after diagnosed.   Usually first sign is blacking out or stroke like symptoms.

The lady who passed this morning we saw a couple of months ago and her husband firmly believes this rise has something to do with cell phone use and said he wife was a heavy cell phone user.

Has anyone else known anyone that has as this horrible disease? It is frightening.

 

[Galileo]

It sucks balls.  My brother in law in in his final days.  Remarkably, he is on week 10 after given 6-8 weeks when the decision was made to stop treatments.  He is now confined to a wheel chair and can barely communicate.  Absolutely awful watching the progression of this cancer over the past year both as it affects him and as it impacts the surrounding family.  He just turned 51.  He has a daughter who is a senior in high school and a son in eighth grade.  One of the saddest things I ever saw was on Christmas Eve when my niece got dressed up in her graduation gown and took photos with her dad.  

As far as cell phones being the cause?  I am not aware of any experimental evidence that shows a connection between cell phones and brain cancer.  Radio and microwave frequencies themselves are non-ionizing.  They do not directly alter the structure of atoms or molecules.  So the question then becomes can they have some other sort of impact that might create favorable conditions for cancer growth.  I know there have been a couple studies that have been done on the effects of radio frequencies on glucose metabolism.  Those have been inconclusive.     

 

[Mystery Achiever]

I know someone in year 3 of fighting this, which is , sadly, apparently a long time. He's not doing too well, lately,though. He travelled for work and used his cell a lot and does wonder.

 

[Galileo]

I know someone in year 3 of fighting this, which is , sadly, apparently a long time. He's not doing too well, lately,though. He travelled for work and used his cell a lot and does wonder.

That is a crazy time period.  I think the average from diagnosis is 14 months.   

ETA...His radiation exposure levels from traveling (assuming air travel) are significantly higher than his cell phone would have supplied.

 

[Mystery Achiever]

It allowed him to see the birth of his grandchild.

 

[Galileo]

For those interested, this here is a reference from the American Cancer Society that summarizes some of the research done and the positions of major agencies.

https://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancer-causes/radiation-exposure/cellular-phones.html

 

[AAABatteries]

Do people still hold phones to their heads much?  If I’m on calls I’m using a headset or speaker.

 

[Leroy Hoard]

Do people still hold phones to their heads much?  If I’m on calls I’m using a headset or speaker.

I mainly text so it is arms length. Just gotta keep it far enough away from the crotch.

 

[TripItUp]

Regarding air travel....

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/air-travel-exposes-you-to-radiation-how-much-health-risk-comes-with-it/

 

[Da Guru]

I know someone in year 3 of fighting this, which is , sadly, apparently a long time. He's not doing too well, lately,though. He travelled for work and used his cell a lot and does wonder.

Year 3? That is a long time for this type of illness.  All I have known last well less than a year and were very debilitated last couple months including losing eyesight and ability to walk. 

 

[Mystery Achiever]

I haven't heard specifics on him in a little while, but it seems he's gotten to a pretty bad stage. I don't live anywhere near him. He's had a couple of surgeries and some other treatments along the way. They know and appreciate that he's beaten some odds.

 

[djmich]

Regarding air travel....

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/air-travel-exposes-you-to-radiation-how-much-health-risk-comes-with-it/

Thanks, thought I was going to have to quit my job.

 

[Mr. Mojo]

It claimed my mother and it is incurable. 

 

[AAABatteries]

Is this what McCain had?

 

[Franknbeans]

Fact sheet

 

[culdeus]

I rarely see anyone actually pressing their phone up to their head anymore.  Is that really a thing?  Everyone texts, calling people is really rude at this point.

 

[AAABatteries]

I mainly text so it is arms length. Just gotta keep it far enough away from the crotch.

Actually this would be a bigger worry to me - I keep my phone in my pocket about 12-15 hours a days.  Maybe it finally could be ball cancer.

 

[Judge Smails]

One of our best friends died at 49 from Gliobastoma.  11 months from diagnosis.  My aunt died from it at 75.  They went about treatment very differently.  Best days for both were in hospice with pain meds but no radiation/chemo/steroids.  Don't know about the cause - have heard the cell phone theory before.  If that were the case I would think we'd see a whole lot more than we are.  

 

[ILUVBEER99]

Studies have shown there isn’t any increase. Glioblastoma rates have been stable for decades.

the Internet makes it seem everything is on the rise.  

 

[jps]

My father passed from the Glia cancer 37 years ago.  My sister just passed 4 months ago from the glia cancer.  Both were extremely quick deaths, about 3 months from diagnosis.  But neither were really in any pain during that time.  Both were in their 60's and much to young and vibrant to pass.  Cell phones weren't an item for my dad and not a big item for my sister.  So who knows what cell phone connections may be.  All I know is that they were both mentally present up to the last 2 weeks and had no real pain during the fight.  So I guess there are plenty of worse ways to go when it's your time. Though I miss them both and wished I could have had more time with them.  Who knows if there is a genetic connection that was passed along between father and daughter or the rest of my family.  I would watch for it but there isn't any real good tests to help detect the cancer early.    

 

[Doug B]

Everyone texts, calling people is really rude at this point.

Eh, we're not there yet, IMHO. Depends on the circles you move in, I guess. There's no society-wide rule yet, though.

 

[culdeus]

Eh, we're not there yet, IMHO. Depends on the circles you move in, I guess. There's no society-wide rule yet, though.

I dunno.  Texting gives you the option to respond, at your pace.  Calling says YOU TALK TO ME NOW DROP EVERYTHING AAAAAAA.

Calling people's office desk phone is different.  Calling cell phones is for ########s or an outright house on fire emergency.

 

[Doug B]

Eh, we're not there yet, IMHO. Depends on the circles you move in, I guess. There's no society-wide rule yet, though.

I dunno.  Texting gives you the option to respond, at your pace.  Calling says YOU TALK TO ME NOW DROP EVERYTHING AAAAAAA.

Here's a wrinkle -- when we dropped our home landline, and our old landline number became a cell number. Lots of relatives and friends call us on that phone number all the time, especially to have an evening chat, make plans, or whatever.

So, that same "evening chat" behavior carried over from the time we had a home landline to the the current time where our "home phone" is a cell phone. All the rules and etiquette regarding phones are a lot more fluid and individualized than might be realized.

Not to say that texting is not done -- just that calling instead of texting is not always (or even 'often') considered rude. 

 

[culdeus]

Here's a wrinkle -- when we dropped our home landline, and our old landline number became a cell number. Lots of relatives and friends call us on that phone number all the time, especially to have an evening chat, make plans, or whatever.

So, that same "evening chat" behavior carried over from the time we had a home landline to the the current time where our "home phone" is a cell phone. All the rules and etiquette regarding phones are a lot more fluid and individualized than might be realized.

Not to say that texting is not done -- just that calling instead of texting is not always (or even 'often') considered rude. 

I have my desk phone auto forward to my cell when away, I consistently get people apologizing for calling me on my cell when they realize they are talking on my cell that I myself set up the forwarding.

 

[sho nuff]

It claimed my mother and it is incurable. 

My aunt and father as well.

and the OP is spot on...its basically one year.  (aunt was a year after diagnosis).

Dad was about 2 years after his original brain cancer (not glio at first)...about a year after the first diagnosis the glio formed...and was less than a year after that when he passed.

Neither were huge cell phone users.

 

[tonydead]

I mainly text so it is arms length. Just gotta keep it far enough away from the crotch.

Great and I've been carrying it around in my front pocket this whole time.  Might explain the arm length though.  

 

[Mr. Mojo]

My aunt and father as well.

and the OP is spot on...its basically one year.  (aunt was a year after diagnosis).

Dad was about 2 years after his original brain cancer (not glio at first)...about a year after the first diagnosis the glio formed...and was less than a year after that when he passed.

Neither were huge cell phone users.

I'm so sorry to hear that you also lost loved ones to this.

 

[honky kong]

Eh, we're not there yet, IMHO. Depends on the circles you move in, I guess. There's no society-wide rule yet, though.

I dunno.  Texting gives you the option to respond, at your pace.  Calling says YOU TALK TO ME NOW DROP EVERYTHING AAAAAAA.

Calling people's office desk phone is different.  Calling cell phones is for ########s or an outright house on fire emergency.

Nobody I am close to over the age of 40 gives a #### if you call their cell phone. If they don't want to talk, they don't answer.