Near-field and far-field exposures to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields and cancer risks in humans: a protocol for an umbrella review of epidemiological studies
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF; frequencies 100 kHz to 300 GHz) is ubiquitous. As the use of RF-EMF has grown steadily since the 1950s due to advances in telecommunications and other technologies, concerns about potential health effects have persisted. The World Health Organization (WHO) identified key areas of concern, with cancer being most frequently rated as critical. To synthesize evidence on the association between RF-EMF exposure and neoplastic diseases, we will carry out two separate umbrella reviews to account for different RF-EMF exposure conditions: one will focus on near-field exposure and the other on far-field exposure. Both umbrella reviews will include RF-EMF exposure in living and occupational settings. METHODS: Systematic reviews and meta-analyses of human observational studies on RF-EMF and cancer were searched in MEDLINE, Web of Science Core Collection, EMF-Portal, and Epistemonikos databases. Eligibility criteria will follow the PECOS (Population, Exposure, Comparator, Outcome, Study type) scheme. Eligibility and quality of the identified articles will be evaluated by two reviewers independently. The tools AMSTAR 2 (A MeaSurement Tool to Assess systematic Reviews) and ROBIS (Risk of Bias in Systematic Reviews) will be used to systematically assess methodological quality and risk of bias. Data will be extracted and summarized in a qualitative synthesis using standardized forms and presented in text and tables. DISCUSSION: These umbrella reviews aim to offer a comprehensive overview of the topic by including systematic reviews and meta-analyses that studied cancer-related health effects of near-field and far-field RF-EMF exposure. In addition, a risk of bias rating will be performed to assess the quality of existing systematic reviews and meta-analyses in the field. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO CRD42024529007.
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BibTeX
@article{ziegler2026nearfield,
title = {{Near-field and far-field exposures to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields and cancer risks in humans: a protocol for an umbrella review of epidemiological studies}},
author = {Joshua Louis Ziegler and Susanna Lagorio and Mats-Olof Mattsson and Olga Zeni and John Bolte and Maryse Ledent and Maarten Velghe and Rianne Stam and Kelly Rijs and Isabelle Deltour and Roya Dolatkhah and Daniel Wollschläger and Nikolaos Petroulakis and Lorena Cascant Ortolano and Dan Baaken},
journal = {Systematic Reviews},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1186/s13643-026-03142-9},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05795548v1},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Near-field and far-field exposures to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields and cancer risks in humans: a protocol for an umbrella review of epidemiological studies
AU - Joshua Louis Ziegler
AU - Susanna Lagorio
AU - Mats-Olof Mattsson
AU - Olga Zeni
AU - John Bolte
AU - Maryse Ledent
AU - Maarten Velghe
AU - Rianne Stam
AU - Kelly Rijs
AU - Isabelle Deltour
AU - Roya Dolatkhah
AU - Daniel Wollschläger
AU - Nikolaos Petroulakis
AU - Lorena Cascant Ortolano
AU - Dan Baaken
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/12
JO - Systematic Reviews
DO - 10.1186/s13643-026-03142-9
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05795548v1
AB - BACKGROUND: Exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF; frequencies 100 kHz to 300 GHz) is ubiquitous. As the use of RF-EMF has grown steadily since the 1950s due to advances in telecommunications and other technologies, concerns about potential health effects have persisted. The World Health Organization (WHO) identified key areas of concern, with cancer being most frequently rated as critical. To synthesize evidence on the association between RF-EMF exposure and neoplastic diseases, we will carry out two separate umbrella reviews to account for different RF-EMF exposure conditions: one will focus on near-field exposure and the other on far-field exposure. Both umbrella reviews will include RF-EMF exposure in living and occupational settings. METHODS: Systematic reviews and meta-analyses of human observational studies on RF-EMF and cancer were searched in MEDLINE, Web of Science Core Collection, EMF-Portal, and Epistemonikos databases. Eligibility criteria will follow the PECOS (Population, Exposure, Comparator, Outcome, Study type) scheme. Eligibility and quality of the identified articles will be evaluated by two reviewers independently. The tools AMSTAR 2 (A MeaSurement Tool to Assess systematic Reviews) and ROBIS (Risk of Bias in Systematic Reviews) will be used to systematically assess methodological quality and risk of bias. Data will be extracted and summarized in a qualitative synthesis using standardized forms and presented in text and tables. DISCUSSION: These umbrella reviews aim to offer a comprehensive overview of the topic by including systematic reviews and meta-analyses that studied cancer-related health effects of near-field and far-field RF-EMF exposure. In addition, a risk of bias rating will be performed to assess the quality of existing systematic reviews and meta-analyses in the field. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO CRD42024529007.
SN - 2046-4053
ER -