Farm exposures, parental occupation, and risk of Ewing's sarcoma in Australia: a national case-control study.
OBJECTIVE
It has been suggested that parental occupation, particularly farming, increased the risk of Ewing's sarcoma in the offspring. In a national case-control study we examined the relationship between farm and other parental occupational exposures and the risk of cancer in the offspring.


METHODS
Cases were 106 persons with confirmed Ewing's sarcoma or peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumor. Population-based controls (344) were selected randomly via telephone. Information was collected by interview (84% face-to-face).


RESULTS
We found an excess of case mothers who worked on farms at conception and/or pregnancy (odds ratio (OR)=2.3. 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.5-12.0) and a slightly smaller excess of farming fathers, more case mothers usually worked as laborers, machine operators, or drivers (OR = 1.8, 95% CI 0.9-3.9). Risk doubled for those whose mothers handled pesticides and insecticides, or fathers who handled solvents and glues, and oils and greases. Further, more cases lived on farms (OR= 1.6, 95% CI 0.9-2.8). In the 0-20 years group, the risk doubled for those who ever lived on a farm (OR = 2.0, 95% CI 1.0-3.9), and more than tripled for those with farming fathers at conception and/or pregnancy (OR = 3.5, 95% CI 1.0-1 1.9).


CONCLUSIONS
Our data support the general hypothesis of an association of Ewing's sarcoma family of tumors with farming, particularly at younger ages. who represent the bulk of cases, and are more likely to share etiologic factors.
Valery
Patricia Casarolli
PC
Population & Clinical Sciences Division, Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Royal Brisbane Hospital, Australia. patriciV@qimr.edu.au
McWhirter
William
W
Sleigh
Adrian
A
Williams
Gail
G
Bain
Chris
C
D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000383:Agriculture; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D018811:Maternal Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016017:Odds Ratio; D018812:Paternal Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011336:Probability; D012016:Reference Values; D012307:Risk Factors; D012512:Sarcoma, Ewing / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D017678:Sex Distribution; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires