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Laryngeal Cancer Risks in Workers Exposed to Lung Carcinogens: Exposure-Effect Analyses Using a Quantitative Job Exposure Matrix

  • Amy L Hall
  • , Hans Kromhout
  • , Joachim Schüz
  • , Susan Peters
  • , Lützen Portengen
  • , Roel Vermeulen
  • , Antonio Agudo
  • , Wolfgang Ahrens
  • , Paolo Boffetta
  • , Paul Brennan
  • , Cristina Canova
  • , David I Conway
  • , Maria Paula Curado
  • , Alexander W Daudt
  • , Leticia Fernandez
  • , Mia Hashibe
  • , Claire M Healy
  • , Ivana Holcatova
  • , Kristina Kjaerheim
  • , Rosalina Koifman
  • Pagona Lagiou, Danièle Luce, Gary J Macfarlane, Ana Menezes, Gwenn Menvielle, Jerry Polesel, Heribert Ramroth, Lorenzo Richiardi, Isabelle Stücker, Peter Thomson, Marta Vilensky, Victor Wunsch-Filho, Yuan-Chin Amy Lee, Ariana Znaor, Kurt Straif, Ann Olsson
    • Epigenetics Group, International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France.
    • Unit of Nutrition and Cancer, Cancer Epidemiology Research Program, Catalan Institute of Oncology-IDIBELL, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.
    • Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology - BIPS, Bremen, Germany.
    • Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York.
    • University of Padova
    • School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Nursing, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.
    • Epidemiology - CIPE/ACCAMARGO, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
    • Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
    • Institute of Oncology and Radiobiology, Havana, Cuba.
    • University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.
    • Trinity College School of Dental Science, Dublin, Ireland.
    • Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, 1st Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic.
    • Cancer Registry of Norway, Institute of Population-based Cancer Research, Oslo, Norway.
    • Escola Nacional de Saude Publica, Fundacao Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
    • School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
    • Univ Rennes, Inserm, EHESP, Irset (Institut de recherche en santé, environnement et travail) - UMR_S 1085, Pointe-à-Pitre, France.
    • Epidemiology Group, School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, United Kingdom.
    • Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Pelotas, Brazil.
    • INSERM, Sorbonne Université, Institut Pierre Louis d'Epidémiologie et de Santé Publique IPLESP, Paris, France.
    • Aviano Cancer Centre, Aviano, Italy.
    • Heidelberg University 
    • University Paris Sud, Paris Saclay University, UVSQ, CESP, INSERM, Environmental Epidemiology of Cancer Team, Villejuif, France.
    • Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
    • Institute of Oncology Angel H. Roffo, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina.
    • Universidade de São Paulo

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

    Abstract

    INTRODUCTION: Various established occupational lung carcinogens are also suspected risk factors for laryngeal cancer. However, individual studies are often inadequate in size to investigate this relatively rare outcome. Other limitations include imprecise exposure assessment and inadequate adjustment for confounders.

    METHODS: This study applied a quantitative job exposure matrix (SYN-JEM) for four established occupational lung carcinogens to five case-control studies within the INHANCE Consortium. We used occupational histories for 2256 laryngeal cancer cases and 7857 controls recruited from 1989-2007. We assigned quantitative exposure levels for asbestos, respirable crystalline silica, chromium-VI, and chromium-VI & nickel combined (to address highly correlated exposures) via SYN-JEM. We assessed effects of occupational exposure on cancer risk for males (asbestos, respirable crystalline silica, chromium-VI, chromium-VI & nickel) and females (asbestos, respirable crystalline silica), adjusting for age, study, tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption, and asbestos exposure where relevant.

    RESULTS: Among females, odds ratios (ORs) were increased for ever versus never exposed. Among males, p-values for linear trend were <0.05 for estimated cumulative exposure (all agents) and <0.05 for exposure duration (respirable crystalline silica, chromium-VI, and chromium-VI & nickel); strongest associations were for asbestos at >90%ile cumulative exposure (OR=1.3, CI=1.0-1.6), respirable crystalline silica at 30+ years duration (OR=1.4, CI=1.2-1.7) and 75%-90%ile cumulative exposure (OR=1.4, CI=1.1-1.8), chromium-VI at >75%ile cumulative exposure (OR=1.9, CI=1.2-3.0), and chromium-VI & nickel at 20-29 years duration (OR=1.5, CI=1.1-2.2).

    CONCLUSIONS: These findings support hypotheses of causal links between four lung carcinogens (asbestos, respirable crystalline silica, chromium-VI, and nickel) and laryngeal cancer.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)145-154
    Number of pages10
    JournalEpidemiology
    Volume31
    Issue number1
    Early online date2019
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Jan 2020

    UN SDGs

    This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

    1. SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being
      SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being

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