Occupational asbestos exposure is associated with pharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma in men from the greater Boston area

Details

• Personal Author:
  Applebaum KM ; Eliot M ; Kelsey KT ; Langevin SM ; McClean MD ; O'Sullivan MH ; Pawlita M ; Valerio JL
• Description:
  Objectives: Asbestos is the name given to a group of naturally occurring silicate mineral fibres that were widely used in industry during the 20th century due to their desirable physical properties. Although use in the USA has fallen over the last three decades, significant exposure in the developing world continues and the burden of disease is considerable. Asbestos is a known risk factor for several malignant diseases, including lung cancer and mesothelioma, and has more recently been implicated in pharyngeal and laryngeal cancer. However, studies of asbestos and cancers of the larynx or pharynx with adequate sample size that control for major head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) risk factors remain relatively sparse. Methods: We report findings from a case-control study of 674 incident male HNSCC cases from the greater Boston region and 857 population-based male controls, matched on age (+/-3 years), sex, and town or neighbourhood of residence. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess the association between occupational asbestos exposure and HNSCC by primary tumour site. Results: 190 cases (28.2%) and 203 controls (23.7%) reported occupational exposure to asbestos. Occupational asbestos exposure was associated with elevated risk of pharyngeal carcinoma in men (OR 1.41, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.97), adjusted for age, race, smoking, alcohol consumption, education, income and HPV16 serology, with borderline increasing risk for each decade in the exposed occupation (OR 1.10, 95% CI 0.99 to 1.23). Conclusions: These observations are consistent with mounting evidence that asbestos is a risk factor for pharyngeal cancer. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Aluminum Silicates Asbestos Demography Dust Inorganic Chemicals Lung Lung Diseases Men Minerals Neoplasms Occupational Health Particulate Matter Respiratory System Respiratory Tract Diseases Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety

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• Keywords:
  Asbestos-dust Asbestos-fibers Asbestos-industry Asbestos-workers Asbestosis Cancer Carcinomas Demographic-characteristics Fibrous-bodies Larynx-cancer Lung-burden Lung-cancer Lung-cells Lung-disease Malignant-neoplasms Mathematical-models Mesothelial-cells Mineral-processing Pulmonary-system-disorders Respiratory-system-disorders Risk-factors Serology Silicates Tumors

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• ISSN:
  1351-0711
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  District of Columbia ; Massachusetts ; Ohio ; OSHA Region 1 ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 5 ; Rhode Island
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  70
• Issue:
  12
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20043322
• Citation:
  Occup Environ Med 2013 Dec; 70(12):858-863
• Contact Point Address:
  Karl T. Kelsey, Departments of Community Health and Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Center for Environmental Health and Technology, Brown University, 70 Ship Street, Box G-E5, Providence, RI 02912 USA
• Email:
  Karl_Kelsey@brown.edu
• CAS Registry Number:
  Asbestos (CAS RN 1332-21-4)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2014
• Performing Organization:
  Boston University Medical Campus
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20080801
• Source Full Name:
  Occupational and Environmental Medicine
• End Date:
  20130731
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:845ccda4ac8c3788e637adab37ec54fb98613699334ca6a45897bf702768abea014bd5d7d00635c14bfd6aad628169e6fcdd824c85c254bb465aea1784e6af86
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/195245/cdc_195245_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.06 MB ]