Scientists from The Institute of Cancer Research have failed to find any link between mobile phone use and brain cancer.

The research suggests there is no substantial risk of acoustic neuroma, a nervous system tumour that occurs close to where mobile phones are held to the head, in the first 10 years of mobile phone use.

However, the scientists said they could not rule out longer term risks.

Researches collected data from 678 people with acoustic neuroma and 3,553 people who did not have the disease.

They were asked about how long and often they used their phone, the type of phone they used, the extent of hands-free use and other factors that might affect their risk of acoustic neuroma.

"There has been public concern about whether there is a link between brain cancer risk and use of mobile phones," said Professor Anthony Swerdlow, investigator at The Institute of Cancer Research.

"The risk of acoustic neuroma is of particular interest in this context because of the proximity of the acoustic nerve to the handset. The results of our study suggest that there is no substantial risk in the first decade after starting use.

"Whether there are longer-term risks remains unknown, reflecting the fact that this is a relatively recent technology."

Professor Peter Rigby, chief executive of The Institute of Cancer Research added: "Mobile phones have only been used widely over the past decade so we won’t know the long term effects for many years.

"However, the results of this multi-country study with such a large number of participants is a great step forward in our understanding of the possible health effects of mobile phones."

Acoustic neuromas are benign tumours that grow in the nerve that connects the ear and inner ear to the brain. They often cause loss of hearing in the affected ear and inner ear and a loss of balance. However, acoustic neuromas are usually slow-growing and do not spread to other parts of the body.

The study, published online in the British Journal of Cancer, was carried out in the UK, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden - countries where mobile phones were introduced particularly early.