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Cochlear implants in the etiopathogenesis of glioblastoma–an interesting observation or independent finding?

  • Case Report - Brain Tumors
  • Published:
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Abstract

Various risk factors have been implicated in the pathogenesis of glioblastomas including ionizing radiation. Recent evidence has suggested a possible association between exposure to nonionizing radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) generated from mobile phones and wireless devices to cause malignant transformation of the neuroglial cells, albeit this is widely debated. In this report, we discuss the development of glioblastoma in two geopolitically unrelated patients, an elderly male from the United States and a middle-aged woman from Sweden, with long-standing cochlear implants (CI). We hypothesize that the low-frequency RF-EMF emanating from the transcutaneous link of the CI prosthesis over a long period has potentially triggered tumor development in these patients.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to extend our warm gratitude to Dr. Tiit Mathiesen for his kind support, guidance, and critical appraisal on this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Neurosurgery, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, 71103, Shreveport, LA, USA

    Piyush Kalakoti, Richard D. Murray & Anil Nanda

  2. Neurosurgery, Karolinska Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden

    Jenny Pettersson-Segerlind

  3. Otorhinolaryngology, Karolinska Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden

    Henrik Smeds

Authors
  1. Piyush Kalakoti
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  2. Richard D. Murray
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  3. Jenny Pettersson-Segerlind
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  4. Henrik Smeds
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  5. Anil Nanda
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Correspondence to Anil Nanda.

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Conflict of interest

One of the authors (H. S.) is on the Surgical Advisory Board of MED-EL. The remaining authors certify that they have no affiliations with or involvement in any organization or entity with any financial interest (such as honoraria; educational grants; participation in speakers’ bureaus; membership, employment, consultancies, stock ownership, or other equity interest; and expert testimony or patent-licensing arrangements), or non-financial interest (such as personal or professional relationships, affiliations, knowledge or beliefs) in the subject matter or materials discussed in this manuscript.

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Consent has been obtained for submission and publication of the case report from the family and/or spouse of the respective patients.

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Kalakoti, P., Murray, R.D., Pettersson-Segerlind, J. et al. Cochlear implants in the etiopathogenesis of glioblastoma–an interesting observation or independent finding?. Acta Neurochir 158, 907–912 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00701-016-2718-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00701-016-2718-3

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