Occupational exposure to asbestos and man-made vitreous fibres and risk of lung cancer: a multicentre case-control study in Europe.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the contribution of occupational exposure to asbestos and man-made vitreous fibres (MMVF) to lung cancer in high-risk populations in Europe.


METHODS
A multicentre case-control study was conducted in six Central and Eastern European countries and the UK, during the period 1998-2002. Comprehensive occupational and sociodemographic information was collected from 2205 newly diagnosed male lung cancer cases and 2305 frequency matched controls. Odds ratios (OR) of lung cancer were calculated after adjusting for other relevant occupational exposures and tobacco smoking.


RESULTS
The OR for asbestos exposure was 0.92 (95% CI 0.73 to 1.15) in Central and Eastern Europe and 1.85 (95% CI 1.07 to 3.21) in the UK. Similar ORs were found for exposure to amphibole asbestos. The OR for MMVF exposure was 1.23 (95% CI 0.88 to 1.71) with no evidence of heterogeneity by country. No synergistic effect either between asbestos and MMVF or between any of them and smoking was found.


CONCLUSIONS
In this large community-based study occupational exposure to asbestos and MMVF does not appear to contribute to the lung cancer burden in men in Central and Eastern Europe. In contrast, in the UK the authors found an increased risk of lung cancer following exposure to asbestos. Differences in fibre type and circumstances of exposure may explain these results.
Carel
Rafael
R
International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France.
Olsson
Ann C
AC
Zaridze
David
D
Szeszenia-Dabrowska
Neonila
N
Rudnai
Peter
P
Lissowska
Jolanta
J
Fabianova
Eleonora
E
Cassidy
Adrian
A
Mates
Dana
D
Bencko
Vladimir
V
Foretova
Lenka
L
Janout
Vladimir
V
Fevotte
Joelle
J
Fletcher
Tony
T
't Mannetje
Andrea
A
Brennan
Paul
P
Boffetta
Paolo
P
D001194:Asbestos / Q000633:toxicity*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002516:Ceramics / Q000633:toxicity; D005060:Europe; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019016:Mineral Fibers / Q000633:toxicity*; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D012307:Risk Factors
D019016:Mineral Fibers; D001194:Asbestos