Occupational exposure to immunologically active agents and risk for lymphoma.
OBJECTIVE
We evaluated whether occupational exposure to high molecular weight agents that are associated with asthma and that act predominantly through an immunoglobulin E (IgE)-dependent hypersensitivity mechanism is also associated with risk for specific lymphoma types.


METHODS
The Spanish lymphoma case-control study includes 519 newly diagnosed cases of lymphoid neoplasms and 554 hospital controls ages 20 to 80 years. Lymphomas were histologically or cytologically confirmed and classified according to the WHO classification. Lifetime occupational exposure to seven high molecular weight agents such as latex was evaluated through an asthma-specific job-exposure matrix and validated by an industrial hygienist. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were adjusted for age, sex, hospital, and occupational exposures.


RESULTS
Subjects exposed to high molecular weight agents had an increased risk for Hodgkin's lymphoma (OR, 2.27; 95% CI, 0.93-5.50), particularly nodular sclerosis (OR, 3.22; 95% CI, 1.14-9.09). ORs did not increase with duration of exposure to these agents. Exposure to high molecular weight agents was not associated with risk of other B-cell lymphomas; for most specific subcategories of B-cell lymphoma, ORs were below unity. A slightly increased OR (95% CI) was seen for mycosis fungoides [1.60 (0.53-4.84)], although overall there was no increased risk for T-cell lymphomas.


CONCLUSIONS
Exposure to immunologically active agents among clinically immunocompetent subjects was associated with risk for Hodgkin's lymphoma.
Kogevinas
Manolis
M
Servei d'Epidemiologia & Registre del Cancer, Institut Catala d'Oncologia, Gran Via Km 2.7, 08907 L'Hospitalet, Barcelona, Spain.
Zock
Jan-Paul
JP
Alvaro
Tomas
T
Garcia-Villanueva
Mercedes
M
Domingo-Domenech
Eva
E
Kennedy
Susan
S
Martínez-Maza
Otoniel
O
de Sanjose
Silvia
S
D001249:Asthma / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000276:immunology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000276:immunology*; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008970:Molecular Weight; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D012307:Risk Factors; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology
D007073:Immunoglobulin E