'On environmental carcinogens: from an era of risk evaluation to an era of risk management' Tokyo, Japan, 29 july 2006

Our plain-English summary of 'On environmental carcinogens: from an era of risk evaluation to an era of risk management' Tokyo, Japan, 29 july 2006, by O. Hino, K. Wakabayashi, M. Tatematsu, et al (Cancer Science, 2007).

The study

• Authors: O. Hino, K. Wakabayashi, M. Tatematsu, K. Tajima
• Journal: Cancer Science
• Published: 2007;98(4):617-9
• Cited by: 1 article, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

In plain English

This article is a meeting report, not a research study. It summarized a Japanese Cancer Association symposium held in Tokyo on 29 July 2006 on three themes: asbestos and related cancers, smoking and related cancers, and hepatitis C virus infection and liver cancer. In the asbestos session, Hiroyuki Tsuda noted that asbestos imports to Japan peaked in 1974 and that blue asbestos was banned only in 1995. Kouki Inai said lung cancer from asbestos exposure has no specific morphological characteristics, and that increased risk from the synergistic effects of smoking had become a problem. Okio Hino described a gene, Erc, whose product is secreted into the blood and might be used to diagnose malignant mesothelioma. Norio Kurumatani reported on mesothelioma among factory workers and local residents of Amagasaki, from a survey focused on one factory. The report gives no figures from that survey. A smoking meta-analysis of Japanese studies found that men who smoke were approximately four times, and women who smoke approximately three times, more susceptible to lung cancer than non-smokers. The authors concluded that unless society faces environmental carcinogens seriously, it will face a second and third asbestos problem.

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: Meeting report summarizing presentations at a one-day symposium; no original study data
• Who was studied: Speakers at the 2006 Japanese Cancer Association Symposium, National Cancer Center, Tokyo, Japan, 29 July 2006
• Exposure: Three themes: asbestos exposure (environmental), smoking (lifestyle), and hepatitis C virus infection (infection). The asbestos discussion covers blue asbestos and the exposure of factory workers and nearby residents.
• Main results:
  • Tsuda reported that asbestos imports to Japan peaked in 1974, and that blue asbestos, described as the most carcinogenic, was banned for production and use only in 1995
  • Inai reported that lung cancer from asbestos exposure has no specific morphological characteristics, and that increased risk from the synergistic effects of smoking has become a problem
  • Hino reported that the Erc gene exists in the mesothelium of the pleura and peritoneum, and that its secreted product could possibly be used to diagnose malignant mesothelioma by blood test. A diagnostic kit was being developed.
  • Kurumatani reported on mesothelioma among factory workers and local residents of Amagasaki. The work used interviews on occupational history and residence, and causes of death from death certificates. This report gives no numbers from it.
  • Tsugane reported a meta-analysis of Japanese studies in which, compared with non-smokers, men who smoke were approximately four times and women who smoke approximately three times more susceptible to lung cancer
  • Sakamoto reported multicentric occurrence of liver cancer in 34% of HCV-positive clusters, compared with 17% of HBV-positive clusters
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that unless society seriously faces the problem of environmental carcinogens, it will face a second and third asbestos problem. They asked whether nanoparticles might be the next issue.
• Limitations the authors state:
  • The authors note that the Amagasaki findings come from a survey focused on one factory

Related studies

• Risk-based indicators of Canadians' exposures to environmental carcinogens — E. Setton, P. Hystad, et al. (2013)
• Evaluation of environmental carcinogens for cancer in man — A.L. Brown (1976)
• An approach to estimating the environmental burden of cancer from known and probable carcinogens: application to Ontario, Canada — S.L. Greco, E. MacIntyre, et al. (2020)
• Consensus on synergism between cigarette smoke and other environmental carcinogens in the causation of lung cancer — A.E. Reif, T. Heeren (1999)
• Binding of environmental carcinogens to asbestos and mineral fibres — G. Harvey, M. Pagé, et al. (1984)
• After a Century of Research into Environmental Mutagens and Carcinogens, Where Do We Stand? — J.D. Vitorino, P.M. Costa (2023)

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