Occupation and risk of cancer of the renal pelvis in Nordic countries

To evaluate occupational variation in the incidence of the malignant neoplasm of the renal pelvis in the population of the Nordic countries.

The study cohort comprised of 14. 9 million individuals. The data on occupational history were obtained from national censuses. Standardized incidence ratios (SIR) were calculated for each occupation.

The highest SIRs were found in seamen (1.51, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.23-1.82), printers (1.39, 95% CI 1.11-1.71), welders (1.37, 95% CI 1.03-1.78), and public safety workers (1.35, 95% CI 1.12-1.62). The lowest SIRs were observed in forestry workers (0.47, 95% CI 0.35-0.62), gardeners (0.72, 95% CI 0.62-0.83), and woodworkers (0.81, 95% CI 0.72-0.91).

The study suggests that there is an association between the profession and the risk of malignancies of the renal pelvis. The possible associations between exposure to asbestos, heavy metals, and welding fumes, and risk of developing the disease should be studied further. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

BJU international. 2018 Sep 14 [Epub ahead of print]

Irmina Maria Michalek, Jan Ivar Martinsen, Elisabete Weiderpass, Kristina Kjaerheim, Elsebeth Lynge, Pär Sparen, Laufey Tryggvadottir, Eero Pukkala

Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Tampere, Finland., Department of Research, Cancer Registry of Norway, Institute of Population-Based Cancer Research, Oslo, Norway., Center for Epidemiology and Screening, Institute of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Denmark., Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden., Icelandic Cancer Registry, Reykjavik, Iceland.