TY - JOUR
T1 - A Pilot Case-Cohort Study of Liver and Pancreatic Cancers in Poultry Workers
AU - Felini, Martha
AU - Johnson, Eric
AU - Preacely, Nykiconia
AU - Sarda, Vishnu
AU - Ndetan, Harrison
AU - Bangara, Saritha
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors gratefully acknowledge the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union for their continuing support and collaboration over the years without which this research would not have been possible. We would also like to thank Dr. Bryan Langholz for his helpful advice. The study was funded by a grant from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health ( 1 RO1 OH008071 ).
PY - 2011/10
Y1 - 2011/10
N2 - Purpose: To test the hypothesis that exposure to poultry oncogenic viruses that widely occurs occupationally in poultry workers and in the general population, may be associated with increased risks of deaths from liver and pancreatic cancers, and to identify new risk factors. Methods: A pilot case-cohort study of both cancers within a combined cohort of 30,411 highly exposed poultry workers and 16,408 control subjects was conducted, and risk assessed by logistic regression odds ratios (OR) and proportional hazards risk ratios. Results: New occupational findings were recorded respectively for pancreatic/liver cancers, for slaughtering of poultry (OR = 8.9, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.7-29.3)/OR = 9.1, 95% CI: 1.9-42.9); catching of live chickens (OR = 3.6, 95% CI: 1.2-10.9)/OR = 1.0, 95% CI: 0.1-8.5); killing other types of animals for food (OR = 4.8, 95% CI: 1.5-16.6)/OR = 2.0, 95% CI: 0.2-18.2), and ever worked on a pig raising farm (OR = 3.0, 95% CI: 1.0-8.2) for pancreatic cancer only. New non-occupational findings for liver cancer were for receiving immunization with yellow fever vaccine (OR = 8.7, 95% CI: 1.0-76.3); and vaccination with typhoid vaccine (OR = 6.3, 95% CI: 1.1-37.4). The study also confirmed previously reported risk factors for both diseases. Conclusions: This study provides preliminary evidence that exposure to poultry oncogenic viruses may possibly be associated with the occurrence of liver and pancreatic cancers. Case-control studies nested within occupational cohorts of highly exposed subjects of sufficient statistical power may provide an efficient and valid method of investigating/confirming these findings.
AB - Purpose: To test the hypothesis that exposure to poultry oncogenic viruses that widely occurs occupationally in poultry workers and in the general population, may be associated with increased risks of deaths from liver and pancreatic cancers, and to identify new risk factors. Methods: A pilot case-cohort study of both cancers within a combined cohort of 30,411 highly exposed poultry workers and 16,408 control subjects was conducted, and risk assessed by logistic regression odds ratios (OR) and proportional hazards risk ratios. Results: New occupational findings were recorded respectively for pancreatic/liver cancers, for slaughtering of poultry (OR = 8.9, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.7-29.3)/OR = 9.1, 95% CI: 1.9-42.9); catching of live chickens (OR = 3.6, 95% CI: 1.2-10.9)/OR = 1.0, 95% CI: 0.1-8.5); killing other types of animals for food (OR = 4.8, 95% CI: 1.5-16.6)/OR = 2.0, 95% CI: 0.2-18.2), and ever worked on a pig raising farm (OR = 3.0, 95% CI: 1.0-8.2) for pancreatic cancer only. New non-occupational findings for liver cancer were for receiving immunization with yellow fever vaccine (OR = 8.7, 95% CI: 1.0-76.3); and vaccination with typhoid vaccine (OR = 6.3, 95% CI: 1.1-37.4). The study also confirmed previously reported risk factors for both diseases. Conclusions: This study provides preliminary evidence that exposure to poultry oncogenic viruses may possibly be associated with the occurrence of liver and pancreatic cancers. Case-control studies nested within occupational cohorts of highly exposed subjects of sufficient statistical power may provide an efficient and valid method of investigating/confirming these findings.
KW - Cancer
KW - Liver
KW - Occupation
KW - Oncogenic Viruses
KW - Pancreas
KW - Poultry
KW - Risk Factors
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=80052195075&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.annepidem.2011.07.001
DO - 10.1016/j.annepidem.2011.07.001
M3 - Article
C2 - 21884967
AN - SCOPUS:80052195075
SN - 1047-2797
VL - 21
SP - 755
EP - 766
JO - Annals of Epidemiology
JF - Annals of Epidemiology
IS - 10
ER -