Cancer and other causes of death among female beauticians

A retrospective cohort study was done of the mortality between 1953 and 1977 among 7,736 Japanese female beauticians who were registered from 1948 to 1960 in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. Mortalities from tuberculosis, heart disease, accidents, and all causes were significantly decreased as compared with the mortalities of general population in the prefecture. Observed deaths from all cancers combined were almost equal to those expected (148 observed vs. 139.26 expected). Among site-specific cancers studied, only slightly increased mortality from stomach cancer was statistically significant (61 observed vs. 45.59 expected). No measurable excess mortality was observed for the other sites of cancer.