Occupation and risk of lymphoma: a multicentre prospective cohort study (EPIC)

• Published in: Occupational and environmental medicine (London, England) Vol. 68; no. 1; pp. 77 - 81
• Main Authors: Neasham, David, Sifi, Ahlem, Nielsen, Kaspar Rene, Overvad, Kim, Raaschou-Nielsen, Ole, Tjønneland, Anne, Barricarte, Aurelio, González, Carlos A, Navarro, Carmen, Rodriguez Suarez, Laudina, Travis, Ruth C, Key, Tim, Linseisen, Jakob, Kaaks, Rudolf, Crosignani, Paolo, Berrino, Franco, Rosso, Stefano, Mattiello, Amalia, Vermeulen, R C H, Bueno-de-Mesquita, H Bas, Berglund, Göran, Manjer, Jonas, Zackrisson, Sophia, Hallmans, Goran, Malmer, Beatrice, Bingham, Sheila, Khaw, Kay Tee, Bergmann, Manuela M, Boeing, Heiner, Trichopoulou, Antonia, Masala, Giovanna, Tumino, Rosario, Lund, Eiliv, Slimani, Nadia, Ferrari, Pietro, Boffetta, Paolo, Vineis, Paolo, Riboli, Elio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London BMJ Publishing Group Ltd 01.01.2011; BMJ Publishing Group; BMJ Publishing Group LTD
• Subjects: Adult; Age; Age Distribution; Aged; animal workers; Arbetsmedicin och miljömedicin; Biological and medical sciences; Butchering; Cancer; Chemical and industrial products toxicology. Toxic occupational diseases; Cohort analysis; Environmental Health and Occupational Health; Epidemiologic Methods; Epidemiology; Europe - epidemiology; Exposure; Female; Gasoline; Health Sciences; Hematologic and hematopoietic diseases; Humans; Hälsovetenskap; Leukemias. Malignant lymphomas. Malignant reticulosis. Myelofibrosis; longitudinal studies; Lymphoma; Lymphoma - epidemiology; Lymphoma - etiology; Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin - epidemiology; Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin - etiology; Male; Mathematical models; Medical and Health Sciences; Medical research; Medical sciences; Medical screening; Medicin och hälsovetenskap; Middle Aged; Multiple myeloma; Non Hodgkin lymphoma; Occupation; Occupational; Occupational Diseases - epidemiology; Occupational Diseases - etiology; Occupational Exposure - adverse effects; Occupational Exposure - analysis; Occupations; Occupations - statistics & numerical data; Public health; Pulp & paper industry; Questionnaires; Repair; Research grants; Risk; Risk factors; Short report; Socioeconomics; Solvents; Stations; Toxicology; Wood; Europe; Human; Multicenter study; Socioeconomic category; Malignant hemopathy; Zoonosis; Occupational exposure; Epidemiology; Lymphoma; Infection; Organic solvent; Profession; Follow up study; Lymphoproliferative syndrome; Cohort study; Risk factor; Professional activity; Occupational medicine; Cancer; benzene exposure; meat industry; malignant-lymphomas; non-hodgkin-lymphoma; cancer mortality; solvents; workers; virus
• ISSN: 1351-0711; 1470-7926; 1470-7926
• DOI: 10.1136/oem.2009.048173

ObjectivesEvidence suggests that certain occupations and related exposures may increase the risk of malignant lymphoma. Farming, printing and paper industry, wood processing, meat handling and processing, welding, shoe and leather manufacturing and teaching profession are among the categories that have been implicated in previous studies. The relationship between occupation and malignant lymphoma has been investigated in a large European prospective study.MethodsWe investigated occupational risks for lymphomas in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). The mean follow-up time for 348 555 subjects was 9 years (SD: 2 years). The analysis was based on 866 and 48 newly diagnosed cases of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) and Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL). These were identified in the EPIC subcohorts with occupational data. Data on 52 occupations were collected through standardised questionnaires. Cox proportional hazard models were used to explore the association between occupation and risk of malignant lymphoma.ResultsThe following occupations were positively associated with malignant NHL after adjustment for study centre, age, sex, socioeconomic status (SES), smoking and alcohol: butchers (HR=1.53, 95% CI 1.05 to 2.48, including multiple myeloma/plasmacytoma; HR=1.30, 95% CI 1.00 to 2.66, excluding multiple myeloma/plasmacytoma) and car repair workers (HR=1.50, 95% CI 1.01 to 2.00, including multiple myeloma/plasmacytoma; HR=1.51, 95% CI 1.01 to 2.31, excluding multiple myeloma/plasmacytoma). HL was associated with gasoline station occupation (HR=4.59, 95% CI 1.08 to 19.6).ConclusionThe findings in this current study of a higher risk of NHL among car repair workers and butchers and a higher risk of HL among gasoline station workers suggest a possible role from occupationally related exposures, such as solvents and zoonotic viruses, as risk factors for malignant lymphoma.