title: Natural resource-based industries and prostate cancer risk in Northeastern Ontario: a case-control study.
abstract: Prostate cancer continues to be the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men, and there is limited knowledge on its preventable risk factors. A number of occupational exposures in natural resource-based industries are suspected to be related to prostate cancer risk. This study investigates associations between employment in these industries and prostate cancer.
  
  
  
  Data were from a population-based, case-control study previously conducted in Northeastern Ontario. Incident cases (N=760) aged 45-85 years and diagnosed with prostate cancer between 1995 and 1998 were identified from the Ontario Cancer Registry. Controls (N=1632) were recruited using telephone listings, and were frequency matched to cases by age. Lifetime occupational history was collected for all participants. Logistic regression was used to estimate ORs and their associated 95% CIs.
  
  
  
  Elevated risks were observed for employment in forestry and logging industries (OR=1.87, 95% CI 1.32 to 2.73) and occupations (OR=1.71, 95% CI 1.24 to 2.35), and these risks increased with duration of employment for ≥10 years. Elevated risks were also found for employment in wood products industries (OR=1.45, 95% CI 1.07 to 1.97), and paper and allied products industries (OR=1.43, 95% CI 1.03 to 2.00), and when duration of employment was ≥10 years. There were also elevated risks in agriculture and mining-related work; however, these findings were not consistent across industry and occupation categories.
  
  
  
  Prostate cancer risk may be associated with work in several natural resource industries, primarily in the forest industries. To further evaluate observed associations, studies should focus on natural resource-based exposures in larger populations with improved exposure assessment.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Occupational Cancer Research Centre, Cancer Care Ontario, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Jeavana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sritharan
authors.affiliation: Occupational Cancer Research Centre, Cancer Care Ontario, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Paul A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Demers
authors.affiliation: Cancer Care Ontario, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Shelley A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Harris
authors.affiliation: University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Donald C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Cole
authors.affiliation: University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Nancy
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kreiger
authors.affiliation: University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sass-Kortsak
authors.affiliation: School of Rural and Northern Health, Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Nancy
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Lightfoot
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000383:Agriculture; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004651:Employment; D016468:Forestry; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D066192:Manufacturing Industry; D008875:Middle Aged; D008906:Mining; D000067936:Natural Resources; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016017:Odds Ratio; D009864:Ontario; D010209:Paper; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D014934:Wood; D014937:Work
keywords: natural resource industries; occupational exposure; prostate cancer