Skip to main content
PMC home page
Thorax logoLink to Thorax
. 1979 Apr;34(2):229–233. doi: 10.1136/thx.34.2.229

Carcinoma of the lung in Lancashire coalminers.

G B Rooke, F G Ward, A N Dempsey, J B Dowler, C J Whitaker
PMCID: PMC471042  PMID: 483190

Abstract

The prevalence at death of carcinoma of the lung in miners and ex-miners has been compared in those with and without pneumoconiosis at necropsy. The prevalence of 11.4% in the group as a whole is no greater than that in the male population in North-west England. Carcinoma of the lung was present in 62 (13.1%) of those without pneumoconiosis and in 52 (9.8%) of those with pneumoconiosis. The mean age at death of those with pneumoconiosis was 71.3 years so that they cannot be said to have died before the age at which they would have developed carcinoma. Those with progressive massive fibrosis whose mean age at death was 72 years had the lowest prevalence of carcinoma of the lung at all ages--8.4%. For reasons stated in the text this is inevitably a biased sample. The number of those without pneumoconiosis is probably lower than the true figure because the deaths of miners and ex-miners in whom there is no suspicion of lung disease may not have been reported to the coroner or to the pneumoconiosis medical panel. There appears to be no positive link between carcinoma of the lung and pneumoconiosis. There is a surprisingly high number of smokers and ex-smokers among these miners, and this appears to have more relevance to the prevalence of carcinoma of the lung than does pneumoconiosis.

Full text

PDF
229

Selected References

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

  1. Ashley D. J. The distribution of lung cancer and bronchitis in England and Wales. Br J Cancer. 1967 Jun;21(2):243–259. doi: 10.1038/bjc.1967.27. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. COCHRANE A. L., GILSON J. C., HIGGINS I. T., OLDHAM P. D. Respiratory symptoms and pulmonary disability in an industrial town; survey of a random sample of the population. Br Med J. 1956 Oct 20;2(4998):904–910. doi: 10.1136/bmj.2.4998.904. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. GOLDMAN K. P. MORTALITY OF COAL-MINERS FROM CARCINOMA OF THE LUNG. Br J Ind Med. 1965 Jan;22:72–77. doi: 10.1136/oem.22.1.72. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. HAVARD J. D. Accuracy of death certification. Medico-legal aspects. Proc R Soc Med. 1962 Sep;55:736–738. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. HIGGINS I. T., COCHRANE A. L. Chronic respiratory disease in a random sample of men and women in the Rhondda Fach in 1958. Br J Ind Med. 1961 Apr;18:93–102. doi: 10.1136/oem.18.2.93. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. JAMES W. R. Primary lung cancer in South Wales coal-workers with pneumoconiosis. Br J Ind Med. 1955 Apr;12(2):87–91. doi: 10.1136/oem.12.2.87. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. KENNAWAY E. L., KENNAWAY N. M. The incidence of cancer of the lung in coal miners in England and Wales. Br J Cancer. 1953 Mar;7(1):10–18. doi: 10.1038/bjc.1953.2. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Liddell F. D. Mortality of British coal miners in 1961. Br J Ind Med. 1973 Jan;30(1):15–24. doi: 10.1136/oem.30.1.15. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Mooney F. Letter: Coal worker's pneumoconiosis and carcinoma of the lung. Lancet. 1975 Jan 4;1(7897):43–43. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(75)92410-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. NEALON T. F., Jr CARCINOMA AND ANTHRACOSILICOSIS. Arch Environ Health. 1964 Jun;8:882–885. doi: 10.1080/00039896.1964.10663770. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Thorax are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES