Publication details

Lung cancer among coal miners, ore miners and quarrymen: smoking-adjusted risk estimates from the synergy pooled analysis of case-control studies

Authors	TAEGER Dirk PESCH Beate KENDZIA Benjamin BEHRENS Thomas JÖCKEL Karl-Heinz DAHMANN Dirk SIEMIATYCLI Jack KROMHOUT Hans VERMEULEN Roel PETERS Susan OLSSON Ann BRÜSKE Irene WICHMANN Heinz-Erich STÜCKER Isabelle GUIDA Florence TARDÓN Adonina MERLETTI Franco MIRABELLI Dario RICHIARDI Lorenzo POHLABELN Hermann AHRENS Wolfgang LANDI Maria Teresa CAPORASO Neil PESATORI Angela Cecilia MUKERIYA Anush SZESZENIA-DABROWSKA Neonila LISSOWSKA Jolanta GUSTAVSSON Per FIELD John MARCUS Michael W. FABIANOVA Eleonora MANNETJE Andrea ´t PEARCE Neil RUDNAI Peter BENCKO Vladimir JANOUT Vladimir DUMITRU Rodica Stanescu FORETOVÁ Lenka FORASTIERE Francesco MCLAUGHLIN John DEMERS Paul BUENO-DE-MESQUITA Bas SCHÜZ Joachim STRAIF Kurt BRÜNING Thomas
Year of publication	2015
Type	Article in Periodical
Magazine / Source	Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Health
MU Faculty or unit	Faculty of Medicine
Citation
Doi	http://dx.doi.org/10.5271/sjweh.3513
Field	Oncology and hematology
Keywords	coal mining; histological subtype; mining; ore mining; population-based study
Description	Objectives Working in mines and quarries has been associated with an elevated lung cancer risk but with inconsistent results for coal miners. This study aimed to estimate the smoking-adjusted lung cancer risk among coal miners and compare the risk pattern with lung cancer risks among ore miners and quarrymen. Methods We estimated lung cancer risks of coal and ore miners and quarrymen among 14 251 lung cancer cases and 17 267 controls from the SYNERGY pooled case-control study, controlling for smoking and employment in other at-risk occupations. Results Ever working as miner or quarryman (690 cases, 436 controls) was associated with an elevated odds ratio (OR) of 1.55 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.34-1.79] for lung cancer. Ore miners (53 cases, 24 controls) had a higher OR (2.34, 95% CI 1.36-4.03) than quarrymen (67 cases, 39 controls; OR 1.92, 95% CI 1.21-3.05) and coal miners (442 cases, 297 controls; OR 1.40, 95% CI 1.18-1.67), but CI overlapped. We did not observe trends by duration of exposure or time since last exposure. Conclusions This pooled analysis of population-based studies demonstrated an excess lung cancer risk among miners and quarrymen that remained increased after adjustment for detailed smoking history and working in other at-risk occupations. The increase in risk among coal miners were less pronounced than for ore miners or quarrymen.