Occupational exposures and risk of adenocarcinoma of the lung in Uruguay

Our plain-English summary of Occupational exposures and risk of adenocarcinoma of the lung in Uruguay, by E. De Stefani, P. Boffetta, P. Brennan, et al (Cancer Causes & Control, 2005).

The study

• Authors: E. De Stefani, P. Boffetta, P. Brennan, H. Deneo-Pellegrini, A. Ronco, L.P. Gutiérrez
• Journal: Cancer Causes & Control
• Published: 2005;16(7):851-6
• Cited by: 21 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

Objectives: To investigate occupational risks of lung adenocarcinoma in Uruguay and to confirm a previously reported increased risk among butchers.

Methods: We conducted a case-control study among men in four major hospitals in Montevideo, based on interviews to 338 cases of lung adenocarcinoma and 1014 hospital-based controls. We calculated odds ratios (ORs) of lung adenocarcinoma for employment in 22 jobs, after adjustment for tobacco smoking and other potential confounders.

Results: The OR was increased for employment as farmer, tractor driver, painter and medical worker, but no trend was suggested for duration of employment. Long-term employment as mason, glass worker or textile worker resulted in an increased OR. The OR for employment as butcher was 1.2 (95% confidence interval 0.7-2.1). The OR increased with increasing duration of self-reported exposure to formaldehyde.

Conclusions: Occupational exposures seem to play a limited role in causing lung adenocarcinoma among men in Uruguay. Employment as butcher was not confirmed as an important risk factor.

In plain English

This case-control study was carried out in four major hospitals in Montevideo, Uruguay, from 1994 to 2000. It compared 338 men with lung adenocarcinoma with 1014 male patients treated for conditions not related to smoking. Participants were interviewed about job histories and self-reported exposure to suspected workplace carcinogens. Results were adjusted for smoking and other factors. Men who reported ever being exposed to asbestos had an odds ratio of 1.5 (95% CI 1.1–1.9). The odds ratio was 1.8 (95% CI 1.3–2.6) for 1 to 20 years of exposure and 1.2 (95% CI 0.8–1.7) for 21 or more years, and the p-value for a trend with duration was 0.09. The article did not specify the asbestos type. Ever working as a mason had an odds ratio of 1.4 (95% CI 1.0–1.8), and the authors suggested this may be explained by asbestos exposure. Exposure to formaldehyde was also linked to higher odds, which rose with years of exposure. Butchers had an odds ratio of 1.2 (95% CI 0.7–2.1). The authors concluded that occupational exposures seem to play a definite, although limited, role in lung adenocarcinoma among men in Uruguay.

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: Hospital-based case-control study using face-to-face interviews
• Who was studied: 338 men with histologically verified lung adenocarcinoma and 1014 male hospital controls with conditions not related to tobacco smoking, in four major hospitals in Montevideo, Uruguay, 1994 to 2000
• Exposure: Employment in selected occupations (including mason, butcher, farmer, painter and medical worker) and self-reported exposure to agents including asbestos (fiber type not specified), silica dust, wood dust, gasoline, strong acids and formaldehyde, grouped by 1 to 20 and 21 or more years
• Main results:
  • Ever exposure to asbestos (124 cases, 274 controls): OR 1.5 (95% CI 1.1–1.9). For 1 to 20 years of exposure: OR 1.8 (95% CI 1.3–2.6). For 21 or more years: OR 1.2 (95% CI 0.8–1.7). p-value for linear trend 0.09.
  • Ever employment as mason (108 cases, 243 controls): OR 1.4 (95% CI 1.0–1.8). For 21 or more years: OR 1.4 (95% CI 1.0–1.9). p-value for trend 0.01.
  • The authors suggested that the increased risk among masons may be explained by asbestos exposure
  • Ever exposure to silica dust (140 cases, 316 controls): OR 1.5 (95% CI 1.1–2.0)
  • Ever exposure to formaldehyde: OR 1.7 (95% CI 1.1–2.8). For 21 or more years: OR 3.0 (95% CI 1.6–5.8). p-value for linear trend 0.004.
  • Ever employment as butcher (21 cases, 53 controls): OR 1.2 (95% CI 0.7–2.1)
  • Current smokers compared with never smokers: OR 6.0
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that occupational exposures seem to play a definite, although limited, role in causing lung adenocarcinoma among men in Uruguay. Employment as butcher was not confirmed as an important risk factor, but employment in other jobs may be of public health significance.
• Limitations the authors state:
  • Misclassification may affect the information on past exposure to specific agents, although it is less likely to be a major source of bias for job history
  • Case-control studies might suffer from bias, though the authors argued that the broad range of control diseases and high response rates argue against selection bias

Topics

The National Library of Medicine indexes this study under subjects our site covers: Lung cancer.

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Occupational Exposure, Adenocarcinoma, Lung Adenocarcinoma, Case-Control Study, Odds Ratio, confidence interval.

Related studies

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• Sinonasal cancer and occupational exposures: a pooled analysis of 12 case-control studies — D. Luce, A. Leclerc, et al. (2002)
• Occupational exposures and risk of esophageal and gastric cardia cancers among male Swedish construction workers — C. Jansson, A.L. Johansson, et al. (2005)
• Occupational exposures and lung cancer risk among Minnesota taconite mining workers — E.M. Allen, B.H. Alexander, et al. (2015)
• Occupational exposures and risk of oesophageal cancer by histological type: a case-control study in eastern Spain — M. Santibañez, J. Vioque, et al. (2008)

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