title: Cancer incidence among 41,000 offshore oil industry workers.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cancer incidence among Norwegian offshore oil industry workers has been studied in two equally sized cohorts of 28000 workers, in a survey-based cohort study followed 1999-2005 and a register-based cohort study followed 1981-2003.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine the overall cancer incidence in both cohorts merged, with an extended follow-up.
  
  
  METHODS
  The merged cohort yielded 41,140 individuals followed for cancer diagnoses 1999-2009. Standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were computed by gender and by period of first employment using cancer registry data.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among female workers, the total number of cancers was slightly higher than expected (SIR 1.17, 95% CI 1.02-1.34), and excesses of acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) (SIR 5.29, 95% CI 1.72-12), malignant melanoma (SIR 2.13, 95% CI 1.41-3.08) and lung cancer (SIR 1.69, 95% CI 1.03-2.61) were observed. Among male workers, the total number of cancer cases was close to that expected (SIR 1.03, 95% CI 0.99-1.08), but cases of pleural cancer (SIR 2.56, 95% CI 1.58-3.91) and bladder cancer (SIR 1.25, 95% CI 1.05-1.49) were higher than expected. Among male workers first employed before 1986, the numbers of observed cancer cases were higher than expected for most sites, while this was not evident among those employed later.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Further studies with exposure data and confounder control are needed to address whether the observed excesses of pleural cancer and AML can be attributed to offshore work.
authors.affiliation: Department of Research, Cancer Registry of Norway, N-0304 Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Stenehjem
authors.affiliation: Department of Research, Cancer Registry of Norway, N-0304 Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kjærheim
authors.affiliation: Department of Research, Cancer Registry of Norway, N-0304 Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: K S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Rabanal
authors.affiliation: Department of Research, Cancer Registry of Norway, N-0304 Oslo, Norway. tom.k.grimsrud@kreftregisteret.no.
authors.forename: T K
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Grimsrud
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015331:Cohort Studies; D019652:Extraction and Processing Industry; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D015470:Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D009664:Norway / Q000453:epidemiology; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000209:etiology; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects; D010578:Petroleum; D010997:Pleural Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D010578:Petroleum
keywords: Cancer incidence; cohort studies; occupational cohort; offshore workers; petroleum industry.