title: Occupation and breast cancer: a Canadian case-control study.
abstract: A local collaborative process was launched in Windsor, Ontario, Canada to explore the role of occupation as a risk factor for cancer. An initial hypothesis-generating study found an increased risk for breast cancer among women aged 55 years or younger who had ever worked in farming. On the basis of this result, a 2-year case-control study was undertaken to evaluate the lifetime occupational histories of women with breast cancer. The results indicate that women with breast cancer were nearly three times more likely to have worked in agriculture when compared to the controls (OR = 2.80 [95% CI, 1.6-4.8]). The risk for those who worked in agriculture and subsequently worked in automotive-related manufacturing was further elevated (OR = 4.0 [95% CI, 1.7-9.9]). The risk for those employed in agriculture and subsequently employed in health care was also elevated (OR = 2.3 [95% CI, 1.1-4.6]). Farming tended to be among the earlier jobs worked, often during adolescence. While this article has limitations including the small sample size and the lack of information regarding specific exposures, it does provide evidence of a possible association between farming and breast cancer. The findings indicate the need for further study to determine which aspects of farming may be of biological importance and to better understand the significance of timing of exposure in terms of cancer risk.
authors.affiliation: Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. jbrophy@ohcow.on.ca
authors.forename: James T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Brophy
authors.forename: Margaret M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Keith
authors.forename: Kevin M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Gorey
authors.forename: Isaac
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Luginaah
authors.forename: Ethan
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Laukkanen
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hellyer
authors.forename: Abraham
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Reinhartz
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Watterson
authors.forename: Hakam
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Abu-Zahra
authors.forename: Eleanor
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Maticka-Tyndale
authors.forename: Kenneth
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Schneider
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Beck
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gilbertson
mesh_terms: D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002170:Canada / Q000453:epidemiology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009790:Occupations