Glyphosate use and associations with non-Hodgkin lymphoma major histological sub-types findings from the North American Pooled Project

• Published in: Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health Vol. 45; no. 6; pp. 600 - 609
• Main Authors: Pahwa, Manisha, Freeman, Laura E Beane, Spinelli, John J, Blair, Aaron, McLaughlin, John R, Zahm, Shelia Hoar, Cantor, Kenneth P, Weisenburger, Dennis D, Pahwa, Punam, Dosman, James A, Demers, Paul A, Harris, Shelley A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Finland Finnish Institute of Occupational Health 01.11.2019; Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health; Nordic Association of Occupational Safety and Health (NOROSH)
• Subjects: Adult; Age; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; B-cell lymphoma; canada; Canada - epidemiology; Cancer; Case-Control Studies; case–control study; Causality; Confidence intervals; Control methods; Epidemiology; Evaluation; Female; Glycine - analogs & derivatives; Glycine - poisoning; Glyphosate; Health risk assessment; Herbicides; histological sub-type; Humans; Insecticides; Lymphocytes B; Lymphoma; Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin - chemically induced; Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin - classification; Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin - epidemiology; Male; Middle Aged; non-hodgkin lymphoma; Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma; north american pooled project; Occupational Exposure - adverse effects; Original article; pesticide; Pesticides; Pesticides - poisoning; pooled study; Regression analysis; Risk Assessment; Statistical analysis; Statistical significance; Trends; United States - epidemiology; usa; Young Adult; Canada; United States; Iowa; Minnesota; Kansas; United States > US; Nebraska
• ISSN: 0355-3140; 1795-990X; 1795-990X
• DOI: 10.5271/sjweh.3830

Objectives Some epidemiological studies have suggested positive associations between glyphosate use and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), but evidence is inconsistent and few studies could evaluate histological sub-types. Here, associations between glyphosate use and NHL incidence overall and by histological sub-type were evaluated in a pooled analysis of case-control studies. Methods The analysis included 1690 NHL cases [647 diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), 468 follicular lymphoma (FL), 171 small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL), and 404 other sub-types] and 5131 controls. Logistic regression was used to estimate adjusted odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for NHL overall and sub-types with self-reported ever/never, duration, frequency, and lifetime-days of glyphosate use. Results Subjects who ever used glyphosate had an excess of NHL overall (OR 1.43, 95% CI 1.11-1.83). After adjustment for other pesticides, the OR for NHL overall with "ever use" was 1.13 (95% CI 0.84-1.51), with a statistically significant association for handling glyphosate >2 days/year (OR 1.73, 95% CI 1.02-2.94, P-trend=0.2). In pesticide-adjusted sub-type analyses, the ordinal measure of lifetime-days was statistically significant (P=0.03) for SLL, and associations were elevated, but not statistically significant, for ever years or days/year of use. Handling glyphosate >2 days/year had an excess of DLBCL (OR 2.14, 95% CI 1.07-4.28; P-trend=0.2). However, as with the other sub-types, consistent patterns of association across different metrics were not observed. Conclusions There was some limited evidence of an association between glyphosate use and NHL in this pooled analysis. Suggestive associations, especially for SLL, deserve additional attention.