title: [Looking for "lost occupational cancers": a systematic evaluation of occupational exposure in a case series of cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas in Italy].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cutaneous carcinomas are tumors with a potential occupational etiology due to exposure to established carcinogens such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), ionizing radiation, ultraviolet (UV) radiation and arsenic. The occupational origin of such neoplasms is hugely underestimated in Italy.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To asses the proportion of Squamous Cell Carcinomas (SCC) cases with a previous occupational exposure to carcinogens.
  
  
  METHODS
  We systematically evaluated occupational exposure in a series of consecutive cases, discharged in the period 2010-11 from the Dermatology Unit of Varese Hospital, Italy, with a histological diagnosis of SCC. Through a structured telephone interview we identified patients with a potential exposure to skin carcinogens. As a second-level step, an extensive evaluation by an occupational physician was performed to assess the occupational etiology in those selected cases.
  
  
  RESULTS
  105 patients were identified (65 men). 15 male cases out of a total of 85 patients who did the telephone interview, revealed a potential occupational exposure; 7 cases were confirmed as occupational cancers after second-level evaluation (proportion of male occupational cases = 13.2%). UV radiation and PAH were recognized as major causal agents. Applying those results to the national incidence data, we estimated a number of 700 annual occupational cases, 100-fold more than the cases currently evaluated by the Italian National Workers Compensation Authority.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results revealed that occupational SCC is still at present a substantially "lost disease" in Italy. Greater attention and enhanced collaboration between specialists is thus needed to overcome this tendency.
authors.affiliation: Centro di ricerca in Epidemiologia e Medicina Preventiva, Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Sperimentale, Università dell'Insubria, Varese.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bonzini
authors.forename: Nadia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Facchinetti
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Motolese
authors.forename: Michela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Casà
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Parassoni
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lega
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lombardo
authors.forename: Rossana
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Borchini
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Ferrario
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires