Occupational risks for intracranial gliomas in Sweden

With the use of the Cancer-Environment Registry, which links cancer incidence for the years 1961-79 with 1960 census information on occupation for all employed individuals in Sweden, a systematic population-based assessment according to employment classifications was made of the occurrence of intracranial gliomas. Statistically significant (P less than .05) increases in the incidence of intracranial gliomas were observed among several professional and white-collar occupations, possibly due in part to higher levels of diagnosis and reporting of this particular neoplasm. Significantly elevated rates were noted among male dentists, agricultural research workers, and public prosecutors and among female physicians and employees in the health care industry. For blue-collar workers, significant excesses were found among welders and metal cutters; glass, porcelain, or ceramic workers; cellulose plant employees; brick and tile workers; and women employed in the wool industry. Several findings of this survey may represent new clues to the etiology of intracranial gliomas, while other findings support observations reported in previous studies.