Lung cancer among coal miners, ore miners and quarrymen: smoking-adjusted risk estimates from the synergy pooled analysis of case-control studies.

Abstract

OBJECTIVES:

Working in mines and quarries has been associated with an elevated lung cancer risk but with inconsistent results for coal miners. This study aimed to estimate the smoking-adjusted lung cancer risk among coal miners and compare the risk pattern with lung cancer risks among ore miners and quarrymen.

METHODS:

We estimated lung cancer risks of coal and ore miners and quarrymen among 14 251 lung cancer cases and 17 267 controls from the SYNERGY pooled case-control study, controlling for smoking and employment in other at-risk occupations.

RESULTS:

Ever working as miner or quarryman (690 cases, 436 controls) was associated with an elevated odds ratio (OR) of 1.55 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.34-1.79] for lung cancer. Ore miners (53 cases, 24 controls) had a higher OR (2.34, 95% CI 1.36-4.03) than quarrymen (67 cases, 39 controls; OR 1.92, 95% CI 1.21-3.05) and coal miners (442 cases, 297 controls; OR 1.40, 95% CI 1.18-1.67), but CI overlapped. We did not observe trends by duration of exposure or time since last exposure.

CONCLUSIONS:

This pooled analysis of population-based studies demonstrated an excess lung cancer risk among miners and quarrymen that remained increased after adjustment for detailed smoking history and working in other at-risk occupations. The increase in risk among coal miners were less pronounced than for ore miners or quarrymen.

• Authors: Dirk Taeger, Beate Pesch, Benjamin Kendzia, Thomas Behrens, Karl-Heinz Jöckel, Dirk Dahmann, Jack Siemiatycki, Hans Kromhout, Roel Vermeulen, Susan Peters, Ann Olsson, Irene Brüske, Heinz-Erich Wichmann, Isabelle Stücker, Florence Guida, Adonina Tardón, Franco Merletti, Dario Mirabelli, Lorenzo Richiardi, Hermann Pohlabeln, Wolfgang Ahrens, Maria Teresa Landi, Neil Caporaso, Angela Cecilia Pesatori, Anush Mukeriya, Neonila Szeszenia-Dabrowska, Jolanta Lissowska, Per Gustavsson, John Field, Michael W Marcus, Eleonora Fabianova, Andrea 't Mannetje, Neil Pearce, Peter Rudnai, Vladimir Bencko, Vladimir Janout, Rodica Stanescu Dumitru, Lenka Foretova, Francesco Forastiere, John McLaughlin, Paul Demers Paul Demers, Bas Bueno-de-Mesquita, Joachim Schüz, Kurt Straif, Thomas Brüning
• Journal: Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health (Scand J Work Environ Health) Vol. 41 Issue 5 Pg. 467-77 (Sep 01 2015) ISSN: 1795-990X [Electronic] Finland
• PMID: 26153779 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, N.I.H., Intramural, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Topics

• Aged
• Case-Control Studies
• Coal Mining (statistics & numerical data)
• Humans
• Lung Neoplasms (epidemiology, pathology)
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Miners (statistics & numerical data)
• Mining (statistics & numerical data)
• Occupational Diseases (epidemiology)
• Occupational Exposure (statistics & numerical data)
• Smoking (epidemiology)
• Time Factors