Multiple Myeloma and Occupational Risk Factors: A Narrative Review

Our plain-English summary of Multiple Myeloma and Occupational Risk Factors: A Narrative Review, by A. Hejrati, S. Parvin, M. Omidali, et al (Iranian Journal of Public Health, 2024).

The study

• Authors: A. Hejrati, S. Parvin, M. Omidali, L. Hejrati, B.S. Amiri
• Journal: Iranian Journal of Public Health
• Published: 2024;53(3):568-576
• Type of article: Review
• Cited by: 4 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

Abstract

Multiple Myeloma (MM) is a neoplastic hematologic disorder caused by the excessive proliferation of plasma cells and leads to bone lesions, anemia, and kidney failure. No definite etiology has been proposed for MM, but several environmental and genetic risk factors have been implicated so far. Exposure to pesticides, benzene, and organic solvents like methyl chloride have been considered a potential risk factor. Asbestos, ionizing radiation, and wood dust exposure have also been associated with MM. As MM is a relatively rare condition, the number of studies is insufficient, and in many studies, only a few study participants recall exposure to any agents. Therefore, establishing a definite risk factor is cumbersome and further studies with large study samples are needed. By recognizing these occupational risk factors, clinicians can encourage employees to reduce their exposure as more as possible and implement precautionary measures. In this review, we highlighted the current research on the potential association between occupational exposures and MM. Because of these studies, new regulations with the goal of occupational exposure reduction are anticipated in the future.

Copyright© 2024 Hejrati et al. Published by Tehran University of Medical Sciences.

In plain English

This article was a narrative review of published research on whether workplace exposures are linked to multiple myeloma, a cancer of bone marrow plasma cells. It did not describe how studies were found or chosen. It covered pesticides, animal contact, organic solvents, benzene, asbestos, coal, electromagnetic fields, ionizing radiation, wood, and jobs such as teaching, housekeeping, cosmetology and painting. The article did not separate asbestos by fiber type. On asbestos, some studies it cited found no link, including one of Swedish construction workers and a case-control study nested in America. Others it cited reported an association. One was a cohort of Nordic firefighters followed for 45 years, whose myeloma risk was statistically higher mainly at age 70. The authors said this was possibly due to asbestos released in building collapses. Another was a study by Seidler et al. that found higher risk in people exposed to more than 2.6 fiber-year of asbestos. The authors noted that most solvent studies relied on questionnaires prone to recall bias. They concluded that asbestos's effect on multiple myeloma is unclear and that larger studies are needed.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: Narrative review of published studies; no original data. The article does not describe its search or selection methods.
• Who was studied: Published studies on occupational exposures and multiple myeloma (71 references listed). The article does not state how many studies were reviewed or how they were identified.
• Exposure: Occupational exposures including pesticides, animal contact, organic solvents, benzene, asbestos (fiber type not specified), coal, electromagnetic fields, ionizing radiation, wood, and occupations such as schoolteachers, housekeepers, cosmetologists and painters
• Main results:
  • The review described several earlier studies that found no link between asbestos exposure and multiple myeloma, including one of Swedish construction workers.
  • The review described a case-control study nested in America that failed to show a relationship between asbestos exposure and multiple myeloma.
  • The review described a cohort study of Nordic firefighters with 45 years of follow-up in which multiple myeloma risk was statistically higher among firefighters, mainly at age 70. The authors said this was possibly due to accidental asbestos exposure during building collapses.
  • The review described a study by Seidler et al. that found a higher multiple myeloma risk among subjects exposed to asbestos above 2.6 fiber-year. The authors interpreted this as indicating that duration and intensity of exposure relate to risk.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that, because few studies exist, the effects of exposures such as asbestos, coal, electromagnetic fields and ionizing radiation on multiple myeloma are unclear. They said that larger studies on asbestos and multiple myeloma are needed before a definite conclusion can be drawn.
• Limitations the authors state:
  • The authors stated that few studies exist because multiple myeloma is rare, and that in many studies only a few participants recalled exposure to any agent.
  • The authors stated that most of the studies discussed in the solvents section were based on questionnaires and could be influenced by recall bias.

Topics

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Myeloma, Etiology, Occupational Exposure.

Related studies

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• The Constellation of Risk Factors and Paraneoplastic Syndromes in Cholangiocarcinoma: Integrating the Endocrine Panel Amid Tumour-Related Biology (A Narrative Review) — M.L. Ciobica, B.A. Sandulescu, et al. (2024)
• A case-control study of multiple myeloma nested in the American Cancer Society prospective study — P. Boffetta, S.D. Stellman, et al. (1989)
• Newly discovered quick, non-invasive screening method of bone marrow malignancies including various leukemias, Hodgkin's lymphoma, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, & multiple myeloma by abnormality of small rectangular area within bone marrow organ representation areas of the face — Y. Omura, B. O'Young, et al. (2012)
• Hierarchical regression for multiple comparisons in a case-control study of occupational risks for lung cancer — M. Corbin, L. Richiardi, et al. (2012)

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