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Occupational cancer. Where now and where next?
Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health
|June 1, 1985
Summary
Occupational cancer risks are identified through stages: recognition, confirmation, and prevention. While epidemiology advances, focusing on occupational carcinogens will only slightly impact overall cancer rates, as less than 10% of cancers are occupationally linked.
Area of Science:
- Occupational Health
- Epidemiology
- Cancer Research
Background:
- Historically, identifying occupational cancer risks relied on chance observations and anecdotal evidence.
- The confirmation of occupational carcinogens involved case-control studies, often with significant delays in implementing preventive measures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To outline the distinct stages in recognizing and managing occupationally associated cancers.
- To discuss the evolving role of epidemiology in identifying potential occupational cancer risks.
- To emphasize the need for science-based regulatory action regarding chemical carcinogens.
Main Methods:
- Review of historical approaches to occupational cancer identification.
- Discussion of the capabilities and limitations of modern epidemiology.
- Analysis of the impact of occupational factors on overall cancer burden.
Main Results:
- Epidemiology is increasingly powerful in detecting unsuspected occupational cancer associations.
- Investigative epidemiology can sometimes present misleading information.
- Less than 10% of human cancers are attributed to occupational factors.
Conclusions:
- Preventive measures for occupational cancers often lag behind confirmation of risk.
- Regulatory action on suspected carcinogens must be grounded in robust scientific evidence.
- Addressing occupational carcinogens, while important, will only marginally reduce the global cancer burden.