Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health logoLink to Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health
. 1998 Oct;52(10):651–656. doi: 10.1136/jech.52.10.651

Incidence and occupational pattern of leukaemias, lymphomas, and testicular tumours in western Ireland over an 11 year period

C Kelleher, J Newell, C MacDonagh-White, E MacHale, E Egan, E Connolly, H Gough, B Delaney, E Shryane
PMCID: PMC1756621  PMID: 10023465

Abstract

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To determine incidence of the following malignancies, testicular tumours, all leukaemias and all lymphomas in the West of Ireland in an 11 year period. Secondly, to examine the relation between disease patterns and available occupational data in male subjects of working age. DESIGN: A census survey of all cases occurring in the three counties in the Western Health Board (WHB) area, Galway, Mayo and Roscommon, for the 11 year period 1980 to 1990 inclusive. Average annual age standardised incidence rates for the period were calculated using the 1986 census data. Rates for the area are compared with rates from the southern region of Ireland, which had a tumour registry. Trends over the time period are evaluated. All male subjects for whom occupational data were available were categorised using the Irish socioeconomic group classification and incidence rates by occupation were compared using the standardised incidence ratio method. In one of the counties, Galway, a detailed occupational history of selected cases and an age matched control group was also elicited through patients' general practitioners. SETTING: All available case records in the West of Ireland. RESULTS: There are no national incidence records for the period. Compared with data from the Southern Tumour Registry, the number of cases of women with myeloid leukaemias was significantly lower. Male leukaemia rates were significantly lower as a group (SIR 84 (95% CI 74, 95) but not when considered as individual categories. Regression analysis revealed an increasing trend in the number of new cases of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma among both men (r = 0.47, p = 0.02) and women (r = 0.90, p = 0.0001) and of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia in men (r = 0.77, p = 0.005) and women (r = 0.68 p = 0.02) in the WHB region over the last decade. Four hundred and fifty six male cases over the age of 15 years were identified and adequate occupational information was available for 74% of these. Standardised incidence ratios of testicular tumours 100, 938) and agriworkers other than farmers (SIR 377, 95% CI 103, 967). There were also significantly increased incidence ratios for both non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (SIR 169, 95% CI 124, 266) and three categories of leukaemias among farmers. Hodgkin's disease and acute myeloid leukaemias were significantly increased among semi-skilled people. Interview data with 90 cases and 54 controls of both sexes revealed that among farmers, cases (n = 31) were significantly less likely than controls (n = 20) to use tractor mounted spraying techniques (OR = 0.19 (95% CI 0.04, 0.80)) and less likely to wear protective masks (OR 0.22 (95% CI 0.05, 0.84)). CONCLUSIONS: Trends of increase in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and some leukaemias are consistent with studies elsewhere. The study provides further evidence of the relation between agricultural work and certain lymphoproliferative cancers. The possible carcinogenic role of chemicals used in agricultural industries must be considered as an explanation.

 

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (107.3 KB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Blair A., Malker H., Cantor K. P., Burmeister L., Wiklund K. Cancer among farmers. A review. Scand J Work Environ Health. 1985 Dec;11(6):397–407. doi: 10.5271/sjweh.2208. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Brownson R. C., Reif J. S., Chang J. C., Davis J. R. Cancer risks among Missouri farmers. Cancer. 1989 Dec 1;64(11):2381–2386. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(19891201)64:11<2381::aid-cncr2820641131>3.0.co;2-m. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Fitzgerald J., O'Flanagan F., Egan E., Connolly E., Solan G., Walsh N. Lymphoproliferative diseases in the west of Ireland: an epidemiological study. Ir Med J. 1985 Oct;78(10):276–278. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Greally J. M., O'Toole G., McCann H., Grimes H., O'Connor B., Solan G., Walsh N., Egan E. Monoclonal gammopathies in the west of Ireland: a preliminary study. Ir J Med Sci. 1985 Mar;154(3):94–101. doi: 10.1007/BF02937224. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Hyjek E., Isaacson P. G. Primary B cell lymphoma of the thyroid and its relationship to Hashimoto's thyroiditis. Hum Pathol. 1988 Nov;19(11):1315–1326. doi: 10.1016/s0046-8177(88)80287-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Isaacson P. G., O'Connor N. T., Spencer J., Bevan D. H., Connolly C. E., Kirkham N., Pollock D. J., Wainscoat J. S., Stein H., Mason D. Y. Malignant histiocytosis of the intestine: a T-cell lymphoma. Lancet. 1985 Sep 28;2(8457):688–691. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(85)92930-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Knowles D. M., Chamulak G. A., Subar M., Burke J. S., Dugan M., Wernz J., Slywotzky C., Pelicci G., Dalla-Favera R., Raphael B. Lymphoid neoplasia associated with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). The New York University Medical Center experience with 105 patients (1981-1986). Ann Intern Med. 1988 May;108(5):744–753. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-108-5-744. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Mead G. M. Testicular cancer and related neoplasms. BMJ. 1992 May 30;304(6839):1426–1429. doi: 10.1136/bmj.304.6839.1426. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Mills P. K., Newell G. R., Johnson D. E. Testicular cancer associated with employment in agriculture and oil and natural gas extraction. Lancet. 1984 Jan 28;1(8370):207–210. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(84)92125-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Niedobitek G., Young L. S. Epstein-Barr virus persistence and virus-associated tumours. Lancet. 1994 Feb 5;343(8893):333–335. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(94)91167-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Parsonnet J., Hansen S., Rodriguez L., Gelb A. B., Warnke R. A., Jellum E., Orentreich N., Vogelman J. H., Friedman G. D. Helicobacter pylori infection and gastric lymphoma. N Engl J Med. 1994 May 5;330(18):1267–1271. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199405053301803. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Sherins R. J. Are semen quality and male fertility changing? N Engl J Med. 1995 Feb 2;332(5):327–328. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199502023320510. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Starzl T. E., Nalesnik M. A., Porter K. A., Ho M., Iwatsuki S., Griffith B. P., Rosenthal J. T., Hakala T. R., Shaw B. W., Jr, Hardesty R. L. Reversibility of lymphomas and lymphoproliferative lesions developing under cyclosporin-steroid therapy. Lancet. 1984 Mar 17;1(8377):583–587. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(84)90994-2. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Swerdlow A. J., Skeet R. G. Occupational associations of testicular cancer in south east England. Br J Ind Med. 1988 Apr;45(4):225–230. doi: 10.1136/oem.45.4.225. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Thornhill J. A., Conroy R. M., Kelly D. G., Walsh A., Fennelly J. J., Fitzpatrick J. M. Recent trends in mortality due to testicular cancer in Ireland: a comparison with England and Wales. J Epidemiol Community Health. 1986 Sep;40(3):218–222. doi: 10.1136/jech.40.3.218. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Van den Eeden S. K., Weiss N. S., Strader C. H., Daling J. R. Occupation and the occurrence of testicular cancer. Am J Ind Med. 1991;19(3):327–337. doi: 10.1002/ajim.4700190307. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Weisenburger D. D. Human health effects of agrichemical use. Hum Pathol. 1993 Jun;24(6):571–576. doi: 10.1016/0046-8177(93)90234-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Wiklund K., Dich J., Holm L. E., Eklund G. Risk of cancer in pesticide applicators in Swedish agriculture. Br J Ind Med. 1989 Nov;46(11):809–814. doi: 10.1136/oem.46.11.809. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES