The analytic epidemiologic study on occupational factors and stomach cancer occurrence

A multicenter hospital based case-control study involving 562 incident male gastric cancer caused under the age of 75 years and an equal number of age matched controls has been carried out. The study aimed at examining occupational factors in the development of stomach cancer after accounting for confounding variables such as dietary habits and alcohol consumption. The interviews with case and control series covered detailed questions on frequency of consumption of various dietary items and socio-demographic characteristics. The results of the study showed that manual workers in industry and farmers run the higher risk of stomach cancer compared with non-exposed clerical workers. Some job categories like painters, tanners and millers displayed the highest relative risk (RR: 3.4) and this higher risk could not be explained by differences in dietary habits or alcohol consumption. The results of the study are discussed against background of possible occupational hazards present in particular environmental settings.