Skip to main content
PMC home page
British Journal of Cancer logoLink to British Journal of Cancer
. 1994 Jul;70(1):160–166. doi: 10.1038/bjc.1994.268

Characteristics of chromate workers' cancers, chromium lung deposition and precancerous bronchial lesions: an autopsy study.

Y Ishikawa 1, K Nakagawa 1, Y Satoh 1, T Kitagawa 1, H Sugano 1, T Hirano 1, E Tsuchiya 1
PMCID: PMC2033298  PMID: 8018529

Abstract

The characteristics of lung cancers induced by inhaled chromate were studied in 13 consecutive autopsies on male ex-chromate workers. In addition to histopathology, we examined: (1) the relationship between the occurrence of lung cancer and the amount of chromium (Cr) deposited in the lung as determined by atomic absorptiometry and (2) the chronological changes in five precancerous lung lesions followed by bronchoscopy till death. Twenty-one cancers were identified, including 16 lung tumours observed either during follow-up or at autopsy. Of these 16 tumours, 13 were found in six subjects, implying a high frequency of multiple cancers. Eleven (69%) out of the 16 tumours were of squamous cell type (including carcinoma in situ), this being twice as frequent as in age-matched controls. A further characteristic was predominance in the central part of lung (69%). The lung Cr burden was very much higher [40-15,800 micrograms g-1 (dry)] in patients with lung tumours than in those without (8-28 micrograms g-1). Five of the precancerous lesions followed by bronchoscopy originated at bronchial bifurcations. Four of these cases showed a return to normal histology at autopsy even without therapy, and the other did not progress.

Full text

PDF
160

Images in this article

164Figure 2
on p.164

Selected References

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

  1. AUERBACH O., STOUT A. P., HAMMOND E. C., GARFINKEL L. Changes in bronchial epithelium in relation to cigarette smoking and in relation to lung cancer. N Engl J Med. 1961 Aug 10;265:253–267. doi: 10.1056/NEJM196108102650601. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Abe S., Ohsaki Y., Kimura K., Tsuneta Y., Mikami H., Murao M. Chromate lung cancer with special reference to its cell type and relation to the manufacturing process. Cancer. 1982 Feb 15;49(4):783–787. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(19820215)49:4<783::aid-cncr2820490430>3.0.co;2-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. BAETJER A. M., DAMRON C., BUDACZ V. The distribution and retention of chromium in men and animals. AMA Arch Ind Health. 1959 Aug;20(2):136–150. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. BAETJER A. M. Pulmonary carcinoma in chromate workers. 1. A review of the literature and report of cases. AMA Arch Ind Hyg Occup Med. 1950 Nov;2(5):487–504. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. BIDSTRUP P. L. Carcinoma of the lung in chromate workers. Br J Ind Med. 1951 Oct;8(4):302–305. doi: 10.1136/oem.8.4.302. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Becher H., Jedrychowski W., Wahrendorf J., Basa-Cierpialek Z., Flak E., Gomola K. Effect of occupational air pollutants on various histological types of lung cancer: a population based case-control study. Br J Ind Med. 1993 Feb;50(2):136–142. doi: 10.1136/oem.50.2.136. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. DOLL R., HILL A. B., KREYBERG L. The significance of cell type in relation to the aetiology of lung cancer. Br J Cancer. 1957 Mar;11(1):43–48. doi: 10.1038/bjc.1957.6. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Doll R., Peto R. Cigarette smoking and bronchial carcinoma: dose and time relationships among regular smokers and lifelong non-smokers. J Epidemiol Community Health. 1978 Dec;32(4):303–313. doi: 10.1136/jech.32.4.303. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Ishikawa Y., Nakagawa K., Satoh Y., Kitagawa T., Sugano H., Hirano T., Tsuchiya E. "Hot spots" of chromium accumulation at bifurcations of chromate workers' bronchi. Cancer Res. 1994 May 1;54(9):2342–2346. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Langård S., Norseth T. A cohort study of bronchial carcinomas in workers producing chromate pigments. Br J Ind Med. 1975 Feb;32(1):62–65. doi: 10.1136/oem.32.1.62. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. MANCUSO T. F., HUEPER W. C. Occupational cancer and other health hazards in a chromate plant: a medical appraisal. I. Lung cancers in chromate workers. Ind Med Surg. 1951 Aug;20(8):358–363. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Mizuno S., Akiba S. Smoking and lung cancer mortality in Japanese men: estimates for dose and duration of cigarette smoking based on the Japan vital statistics data. Jpn J Cancer Res. 1989 Aug;80(8):727–731. doi: 10.1111/j.1349-7006.1989.tb01705.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Morita T., Sugano H. A statistical analysis of lung cancer registered in the Annual of Pathological Autopsy Cases in Japan between 1958 and 1987, with special reference to the characteristics of lung cancer in Japan. Acta Pathol Jpn. 1990 Sep;40(9):665–675. doi: 10.1111/j.1440-1827.1990.tb01614.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Ohsaki Y., Abe S., Kimura K., Tsuneta Y., Mikami H., Murao M. Lung cancer in Japanese chromate workers. Thorax. 1978 Jun;33(3):372–374. doi: 10.1136/thx.33.3.372. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Stayner L. T., Wegman D. H. Smoking, occupation, and histopathology of lung cancer: a case-control study with the use of the Third National Cancer Survey. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1983 Mar;70(3):421–426. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Tsuchiya E., Kitagawa T., Oh S., Nakagawa K., Matsubara T., Kinoshita I., Sugano H. Incidence of squamous metaplasia in large bronchi of Japanese lungs: relation to pulmonary carcinomas of various subtypes. Jpn J Cancer Res. 1987 Jun;78(6):559–564. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Tsuneta Y., Ohsaki Y., Kimura K., Mikami H., Abe S., Murao M. Chromium content of lungs of chromate workers with lung cancer. Thorax. 1980 Apr;35(4):294–297. doi: 10.1136/thx.35.4.294. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. VALENTINE E. H. Squamous metaplasia of the bronchus; a study of metaplastic changes occurring in the epithelium of the major bronchi in cancerous and noncancerous cases. Cancer. 1957 Mar-Apr;10(2):272–279. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(195703/04)10:2<272::aid-cncr2820100209>3.0.co;2-l. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from British Journal of Cancer are provided here courtesy of Cancer Research UK

RESOURCES