Risk of cancer and longest-held occupations in Japanese workers: A multicenter hospital-based case-control study

Little is known about the risk of developing various cancers according to occupation and occupational physical activity.

Using nationwide clinical inpatient data (1984-2017) in Japan, we undertook a multicentered, matched case-control study with regard to the risk of developing various cancers according to occupation and using patients admitted with fractures as controls. Using standardized national occupation and industrial classifications, we first identified the longest-held job for each patient. Using sales workers as the reference group, odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated by conditional logistic regression, adjusted for age, admission period, and the admitting hospital, with smoking, alcohol consumption, and lifestyle diseases as covariates. The risk of high and low occupational physical activity was also estimated.

Across all occupations, a reduced risk for all common cancers among males was observed among those occupations associated with high physical activities, such as agriculture. People in these occupations tended to show a lower risk for most cancers, including, for example, prostate cancer (OR 0.58, 95% CI 0.45-0.75) and lung cancer (OR 0.63, 95% CI 0.51-0.76). For females, the breast cancer risk was low in women engaged in agriculture (OR 0.58, 95% CI 0.45-0.75) and in those occupations with high levels of occupational physical activity (OR 0.58, 95% CI 0.52-0.66).

This study revealed differences in cancer risk among diverse occupations in Japan. Specifically, those occupations associated with high levels of physical activity may be associated with a decreased risk of cancer.