Hodgkin's disease in adults: association with social factors and age at tonsillectomy. A case-control study.
The relationship between socio-economic characteristics, previous tonsillectomy, family history of cancer and risk of Hodgkin's disease (HD) was investigated in a case-control study. One hundred and sixty patients, aged 15-78, with histologically confirmed HD, and 185 hospital controls were interviewed. A statistically significant decrease in risk of HD was observed among subjects with large sibship size (RR = 0.63, C.I. 0.46-0.86) and among those who underwent tonsillectomy prior to the age of 10 (RR = 0.46, C.I. 0.22-0.94). High educational level was associated with an increased risk of HD (RR = 6.68, C.I. I.94-23.08). Analysis by age-group (15-39 yrs and 40 yrs or more) confirmed the role of high educational level as a risk factor in both young and old subjects, while the protective effect of tonsillectomy at an early age seems to be confined to young subjects. Analysis by histological subtype showed a statistically significant decrease in risk of HD in large sibship size for both nodular sclerosis (NS) and mixed-cell subtypes; the role of education and tonsillectomy was observed only for NS. These data confirm the role of social factors in HD risk and suggest a protective effect of tonsillectomy performed early in life that needs to be confirmed in larger population-based studies.
Bonelli
L
L
Unit of Clinical Epidemiology and Trials, Istituto Nazionale per la Ricerca sul Cancro, Genoa, Italy.
Vitale
V
V
Bistolfi
F
F
Landucci
M
M
Bruzzi
P
P
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004522:Educational Status; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005192:Family Health; D005260:Female; D006689:Hodgkin Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014068:Tonsillectomy / Q000009:adverse effects*