title: Association between lymph node silicosis and lung silicosis in 4,384 German uranium miners with lung cancer.
abstract: This study investigates the association between lymph node-only and lung silicosis in uranium miners with lung cancer and exposure to quartz dust. Tissue slides of 4,384 German uranium miners with lung cancer were retrieved from an autopsy archive and reviewed by 3 pathologists regarding silicosis in the lungs and lymph nodes. Cumulative exposure to quartz dust was assessed with a quantitative job-exposure matrix. The occurrence of silicosis by site was investigated with regression models for exposure to quartz dust. Miners with lung silicosis had highest cumulative quartz exposure, followed by lymph node-only silicosis and no silicosis. At a cumulative quartz exposure of 40 mg/m(3) × years, the probability of lung silicosis was above 90% and the likelihood of lymph node-only silicosis and no silicosis do not differ anymore. The results support that lymph node silicosis can precede lung silicosis, at least in a proportion of subjects developing silicosis, and that lung silicosis strongly depends on the cumulative quartz dose.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Prevention and Occupational Medicine of the German Social Accident Insurance (IPA), Institute of the Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany. taeger@ipa-dguv.de
authors.forename: Dirk
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Taeger
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Brüning
authors.forename: Beate
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Pesch
authors.forename: Klaus-Michael
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.forename: Thorsten
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wiethege
authors.forename: Georg
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Johnen
authors.forename: Horst
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wesch
authors.forename: Dirk
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dahmann
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Hoffmann
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D004391:Dust; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D008206:Lymphatic Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008906:Mining / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011791:Quartz / Q000633:toxicity; D012829:Silicosis / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D013997:Time Factors; D014501:Uranium
chemical_list: D004391:Dust; D011791:Quartz; D014501:Uranium