Funding Agency:

Jennie Zoline Foundation

Total Project Period:

7/1/08 - 12/31/09

Total Project Award:

$100,000

Principal Investigator:

L. Dade Lunsford, MD

Co-Investigator:

Devra Davis, PhD (UPCI Center for Environmental Oncology)

Project Summary:

In this preliminary and relatively simple study, the authors propose to do a retrospective analysis of more than 1,250 acoustic neuroma patients who are part of the database at the University of Pittsburgh Center for Image Guided Neurosurgery.

A questionnaire will be developed and approved by the IRB to assess our patient's prior use of cell phones and to assess the type, frequency, side of head and type of ear piece used.

We will also assess broadly whether other potential occupational or environmental exposures are noted by our data base contains sufficient numbers of patients who use cell phones and whether a future research study might elicit a relationship between exposure to cell phone radiation and tumor development.