title: Shift in Occupational Risk for Basal Cell Carcinoma from Outdoor to Indoor Workers: A Large Population-based Case-control Register Study from Sweden.
abstract: Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common form of cancer worldwide. Exposure of the skin to ultraviolet (UV) radiation, from sunlight and other sources, is the most important risk factor. The aim of this large-scale case-control study was to determine which occupations are associated with increased risk of BCC in Sweden. The case cohort comprised 74,247 patients with BCC and the control cohort comprised 574,055 subjects linked to population-based registers. Compared with the occupational category of farmers, foresters and gardeners we observed elevated risks of BCC for almost all occupational categories studied. Legal workers with odds ratio (OR) 2.69 (95% confidence interval (CI) 2.36-3.06), dentists OR 2.69 (95% CI 2.35-3.08) and physicians OR 2.47 (95% CI 2.24-2.74) had the highest risk for both sexes taken together. In conclusion, there appears to have been a change in the risk of BCC from outdoor to indoor occupations in Sweden, possibly related to exposure to UV radiation during leisure activities exceeding occupational sun exposure as the main cause of BCC in Sweden.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine Dermatology and Venereology Unit, Karolinska University Hospital, SE-171 76 Stockholm, Sweden. bernt.lindelof@karolinska.se, bernt.lindelof@ki.se.
authors.forename: Bernt
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lindelöf
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lapins
authors.forename: Henrik
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Dal
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000382:Agricultural Workers' Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D002280:Basal Cell Carcinoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D000067565:Farmers; D005260:Female; D016468:Forestry; D051639:Gardening; D006801:Humans; D007587:Job Description; D007899:Leisure Activities; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016272:Occupational Health; D016017:Odds Ratio; D012042:Registries; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013472:Sunlight / Q000009:adverse effects*; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology; D013997:Time Factors; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays / Q000009:adverse effects*; D017132:Workplace