Exposure to loud noise and risk of vestibular schwannoma: results from the INTERPHONE international case‒control study

Abstract

Conflicting results have been obtained about the association between exposure to occupational loud noise and risk of vestibular schwannomas (acoustic neuromas). In the largest case-control study conducted to date on this tumor, consistent associations have been observed with self-reported loud noise exposure.

Global Incidence of Sporadic Vestibular Schwannoma: A Systematic Review

“…To this end, a substantiated biological explanation behind the rising incidence rates remains absent. Although several survey-based studies have reported an association between noise exposure and the development of sporadic VS 19,20 or between cell phone use and sporadic VS, 21 several robust population-based case-control studies have refuted these claims. [22][23][24] The apparent discrepancy is most likely accounted for by the susceptibility of the aforementioned survey-based studies to recall bias, where patients who have been diagnosed with a tumor on their hearing nerve are Several incidence rates were reported in this study; however, for reasons exhaustively described in the original study, the rate of 3.3 per 100,000 personyears likely represents the most accurate estimate reported based on completeness of data.…”