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Underreporting of occupational cancers in Denmark
Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health
|February 1, 1996
Summary
Reporting of occupational cancer in Denmark has not improved since 1987. While pleural mesothelioma reporting increased, sinonasal adenocarcinoma reporting declined, with lung adenocarcinoma reporting remaining low.
Area of Science:
- Occupational health
- Epidemiology
- Cancer research
Background:
- Occupational cancers represent a significant public health concern.
- Effective reporting systems are crucial for identifying and preventing work-related diseases.
- Previous studies indicated suboptimal reporting rates for occupational cancers in Denmark.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate trends in occupational cancer reporting in Denmark since 1987.
- To assess the quality of occupational exposure information in medical records.
- To identify specific cancer types with changing reporting frequencies.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of cancer cases (pleural mesothelioma, sinonasal adenocarcinoma, lung adenocarcinoma) diagnosed between 1983-1990.
- Cross-referencing with the Register of Reported Occupational Diseases and National Board of Industrial Injuries records.
- Review of medical records for unreported cases to extract occupational exposure data.
Main Results:
- Reporting frequency for pleural mesothelioma increased from 43% (1983-1987) to 53% (1988-1990).
- Reporting frequency for sinonasal adenocarcinomas decreased from 34% to 20% during the same periods.
- Only 1% of lung adenocarcinomas were reported as occupational cancers.
Conclusions:
- Overall occupational cancer reporting in Denmark has not shown improvement since 1987.
- The findings highlight persistent challenges in the accurate identification and reporting of occupational exposures leading to cancer.
- Specific cancer types exhibit varying reporting trends, necessitating targeted interventions.