Proportion of lung cancers in males, due to occupation, in different areas of the USA

Paolo Vineis, Terry Thomas, Richard B. Hayes, William J. Blot, Thomas J. Mason, Linda Williams Pickle, Pelayo Correa, Elizabeth T.H. Fontham, Janet Schoenberg

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

75 Scopus citations

Abstract

Occupational data from 5 case‐control studies in the United States involving 2,973 male cases and 3,210 controls were analyzed to estimate the percentage of lung cancer attributable to well‐known and suspected lung carcinogens. The studies were conducted in areas heterogeneous in terms of industrial activities. The percentage of lung cancers attributable to occupations entailing potential exposure to well‐recognized carcinogens ranged, by study area, from 3 to 17%. The further inclusion of occupational groups with suspect carcinogenic exposures changed these estimates very little. Exclusion of data derived from next‐of‐kin interviews influenced the estimates of attributable risks, but not in a systematic fashion. The estimates also varied according to ethnic group, smoking status and birth cohort, with higher values in non‐whites, non‐smokers and among members of more recent birth cohorts. Possible errors in exposure classification, which may make these estimates conservative, are discussed.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)851-856
Number of pages6
JournalInternational Journal of Cancer
Volume42
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 1988

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Oncology
  • Cancer Research

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Proportion of lung cancers in males, due to occupation, in different areas of the USA'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this