Cancer incidence among Swedish firefighters: an extended follow-up of the NOCCA study

To evaluate cancer incidence among Swedish firefighters and analyze risk in relation to work duration as a proxy for cumulative exposure.

This cohort study is based on the Swedish component of the Nordic Occupational Cancer (NOCCA) project. The cohort includes six million people who participated in one or more of the population censuses in 1960, 1970, 1980 and 1990. The census data were linked to the Swedish Cancer Registry for the 1961-2009 period, extending a previous NOCCA follow-up time by 4 years. We identified 8136 male firefighters. SIRs were calculated using cancer incidence rates in the national population as a reference.

We found a statistically significant excess of non-melanoma skin cancer (SIR = 1.48, 95% CI 1.20-1.80) but no positive relationship between risk and work duration. There was a small, yet statistically significant increased risk of prostate cancer among firefighters with service times of 30 years or more. The first follow-up period (1961-1975) showed an increased risk of stomach cancer relative to the reference group, while the last period (1991-2009) showed an increased risk of non-melanoma skin cancer. There was no excess risk for all cancer sites combined (SIR = 1.03, 95% CI 0.97-1.09).

Our results do not support an overall risk of cancer among Swedish firefighters, but a possible risk of non-melanoma skin cancer exists. The previously noted excess of prostate cancer among Swedish firefighters in NOCCA was no longer statistically significant in this extended follow-up but was present among those with the longest service times.