May ugnayan ba talaga ang cell phones at cancer?

Maraming nabahala sa inilabas na pag-aaral ng World Health Organization (WHO) na maaaring magdulot ng cancer ang matagalang paggamit ng cellphone. Sa isang one-on-one interview sa “State of the Nation," ipinaliwanag ng isa sa dadalawang neuro-oncologist sa Pilipinas na si Dr. Julette Batara ng St. Luke's Medical Center kung bakit malabo ang ugnayan ng cellphones at kalusugan. JESSICA SOHO: Para tulungan po tayong himayin at maunawaan ang usapin ngayon tungkol sa ugnayan ng cellphones at ng ating kalusugan, makakasama po natin live dito sa ating studio ang isa sa dadalawang neuro-oncologist sa Pilipinas, si Dr. Julette Batara ng St. Luke's Medical Center. Magandang gabi po, Doc. Una ho sa lahat, ano po ang ibig sabihin ng neuro-oncologist? DR. BATARA: Ang ibig sabihin ng neuro-oncologist ay isang specialty na ang tinitingnan namin talaga at ginagamot ay mga tao na may brain tumor. JESSICA: Ano ho ang impression n’yo at pag-process n’yo nitong bago hong findings ng WHO? DR. BATARA: Nakakalito nga ‘no kasi hindi pa hard 'yung evidence na linked ang cellphone use sa brain tumors. So dati nang tinatanong ‘yun at tinitingnan ko na rin dati ‘yung mga studies diyan. ‘Pag ni-review mo ‘yung mga dating study, kino-compare nila halimbawa ‘yung hindi gumagamit at saka mga gumagamit ng cellphone. So meron na dating na-publish – more than 6,000 patients na may brain tumor at 12,000 naman na wala. Wala silang nakitang association, tiningnan nila over 10 years. So marami nang ganu’ng studies. More than 30 studies na ‘yung lumabas na ganu’n. Itong sa WHO, sabi nila wala naman talagang connection ang cellphone use sa cancer o sa brain cancer specifically. Pero bakit sila nagbago ngayon? So ‘yung isang article, sabi nila merong dalawang unpublished, so hindi ko nakita ‘yun. Hindi ko alam kung anong study ‘yung sinasabi nila na nag-cause for them to change. Pero we have to understand that it's difficult to do these studies, kasi ang mga tao iba-iba ang gamit ng cellphone. Merong matagal gumagamit, merong hindi matagal gumamit, merong 10 taon nang gumagamit, merong 20 years nang gumagamit. ‘Pag gumagawa kasi tayo ng study, kailangan medyo pantay-pantay ‘yung mga factors na ‘yun kaya napakahirap i-analyze ‘yun. So ang sinasabi nila, baka naman hindi pa nakikita ‘yung cancer risk kasi ‘yung dating ginawang study, merong parang 10 percent na lumalabas na risk du’n sa pinaka – ay hindi. Sorry, hindi 10 percent ‘yung risk; du’n sa upper 10 percent ng users. Ibig sabihin, ‘yung 10 percent na pinakamaraming gamit ng cellphone, ‘yun ‘yung nagkakaro’n ng may increased risk for glioma or malignant type of brain tumor. Kasi may lumabas na maliit na ganu’n noon – posible na baka over 20 years, 30 years, mas makikita mo ‘yung risk. So like ‘yung radiation risk, ‘yung mga batang ni-radiate nu’ng araw, nakikita namin after 20 years, nine-fold ‘yung risk nila to develop brain cancer. JESSICA: I think ang WHO is being very careful at this point. Sinasabi nila na hindi nila directly kino-correlate ang cellphone use to this type of cancer, but they're saying it possibly increases the risk. I think that's very important, ano po? DR. BATARA: I think it probably does, but the fact that it's taking so many years to prove it, they cannot say for sure dahil hindi pa siya proven. So in medicine ngayon, kasi ‘pag sinabi mong risk talaga, talagang black and white ‘yun. That’s why they’re only saying ‘possibly,’ but I think over a long period of time, merong makikita. So it's not so scary in the sense that it's not like cigarette smoking na direct na direct ‘yung link na ‘pag nagsigarilyo ka, siguradong mas mataas ‘yung risk mo. The fact that it's taking so long and taking so many patients to see this is maliit ‘yung risk. JESSICA: But off-hand, Doc, alam naman natin na anything that's too much or excessive is bad. DR. BATARA: Yes, so moderate lang dapat talaga. Ang problem dito, hindi natin alam, nasaan ba ‘yung line? How much cellphone use will cause it? Nasa’n yung border na ’yun? Kailan ba tayo titigil ‘di ba? JESSICA: Ilang minutes a day ba ang allowed? Pero ako, alam ko ‘pag medyo mainit na ‘yung cellphone, medyo masakit na sa tainga, I stop. Pero Doc, ano ngayon ang maipapayo natin sa ating mga cellphone users? DR. BATARA: With anything, whether it's food or cellphone use or cigarette smoking... Actually cigarette smoking, dapat wala na talaga. Hindi naman ‘yung sasabihin nating hindi na kayo gagamit ng cellphone, pero bawasan siguro kung maiiwasan or mababawasan. Kasi now we also have ‘yung mga landline, ‘di ba, cellphone na rin ang ginagamit natin and we prefer to use that. Maybe we should go back to using our landlines. JESSICA: Doc, alam ko ‘yung mga simpleng appliances or even probably cellphones and even computers, ano ho ba ‘yung ine-emit nila na medyo ‘pagka nag-accumulate o matagalang gamit o prolonged use ay masama? DR. BATARA: Hindi ko alam for each appliance but for cellphones, it's electromagnetic frequency or radio frequency and they're all like, depende sa exposure eh. Gaano kalaki ba ‘yung exposure mo to a certain frequency? It's the same as radiation, except sa radiation, alam na nating hanggang dito lang na radiation ‘yung kaya ng katawan natin. But for cellphones, like electro-magnetic energy, we don't know the limit. JESSICA: ‘Yung WHO study speaks about the risk of getting cancer. Pero even before, du’n sa level ng usap-usapan na ‘yan, how about other lesser or milder ailments like migraines? Ano pa ba ‘yung puwedeng ailments na puwedeng magresulta sa prolonged use ng cellphones? DR. BATARA: So ang problema kasi natin with brain tumors, as with migraines, we don't know the exact mechanisms yet. Hindi natin alam na, like lung cancer, we’re sure na smoking can cause lung cancer. Sa brain cancer, wala tayong ganu’n na evidence na let's say if you smoke, you have this risk of getting brain cancer. So that's one of the problems ‘no. It's the same with migraine. We haven't even really found out the exact mechanism of migraine. So it's very hard to say na kung hindi natin alam kung ano ‘yung mechanism, na na-ko-cause siya ng cellphone use or things like that. JESSICA: So the human brain is so complicated that it’s hard to determine talaga which causes what, ano po? DR. BATARA: Yeah, at saka sa brain tumors kasi, compared to lung cancer, there are much, much less incidents so mas mahirap aralin. JESSICA: Maraming salamat. DR. BATARA: Thank you for your time.