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Cancer incidence in a cohort of asbestos-exposed workers undergoing health surveillance

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Abstract

Objectives

To compare a local cohort of 2488 men occupationally exposed to asbestos and enrolled in a public health surveillance program with the 1995–2009 cancer incidence of the general population of Friuli Venezia Giulia (FVG) region, Northeast Italy, we conducted a historical cohort study.

Methods

Standardized incidence ratios (SIRs), with 95% confidence interval (95% CI), for specific cancer sites were estimated in the cohort and in subgroups of workers employed in shipbuilding between 1974 and 1994. For internal comparisons, we calculated incidence rate ratios (IRRs) for all cancers, lung cancer and mesothelioma, by level of exposure to asbestos and sector of employment adjusted for smoking habits and age at start of follow-up.

Results

Among cohort members the SIR was 8.82 (95% CI 5.95–12.61) for mesothelioma and 1.61 (95% CI 1.26–2.04) for lung cancer. In subgroup analyses, the SIR for lung cancer in subjects hired in shipbuilding between 1974 and 1984 was 2.09 (95% CI 1.32–3.13). In the overall cohort, a borderline increased incidence was also found for stomach cancer (SIR = 1.53 95% CI 0.96–2.31). Internal comparisons within the cohort show that among men with high asbestos exposure level the relative risk was almost threefold for lung cancer (IRR = 2.94 95% CI 1.01–8.57).

Conclusions

This cohort experienced an excess in the incidence of both mesothelioma and lung cancer, showing increasing incidence rates at higher level of asbestos exposure. For lung cancer, the relative incidence was highest among workers hired in shipbuilding between 1974 and 1984.

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Funding

This study has been carried out with no external funding.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dipartimento di Area Medica, University of Udine, Via Colugna 50, 33100, Udine, Italy

    Fabiano Barbiero, Federica E. Pisa, Anica Casetta, Valentina Rosolen, Manuela Giangreco & Fabio Barbone

  2. Health and Safety at Work Department (SPISAL), Local Health Authority No 12, Region of Veneto, Mestre, Italy

    Fabiano Barbiero

  3. Health and Safety at Work Department, Local Health Authority No 2 (ASS2), Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, Gorizia, Italy

    Tina Zanin

  4. Institute of Hygiene and Clinical Epidemiology, Azienda Sanitaria Universitaria Integrata, Udine, Italy

    Federica E. Pisa & Fabio Barbone

  5. Department of Medical Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy

    Corrado Negro, Massimo Bovenzi & Fabio Barbone

Authors
  1. Fabiano Barbiero
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  2. Tina Zanin
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  3. Federica E. Pisa
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  4. Anica Casetta
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  5. Valentina Rosolen
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  6. Manuela Giangreco
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  7. Corrado Negro
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  8. Massimo Bovenzi
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  9. Fabio Barbone
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Fabio Barbone.

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Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. Fabio Barbone, Massimo Bovenzi, and Federica E. Pisa acted as expert witnesses for the public prosecutor in criminal trials on asbestos-related cancers.

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For this type of study formal consent is not required.

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Barbiero, F., Zanin, T., Pisa, F.E. et al. Cancer incidence in a cohort of asbestos-exposed workers undergoing health surveillance. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 91, 831–841 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-018-1326-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-018-1326-3

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