Occupational risk factors for endometrial cancer among textile workers in Shanghai, China

✍ Scribed by Karen J. Wernli; Roberta M. Ray; Dao Li Gao; E. Dawn Fitzgibbons; Janice E. Camp; George Astrakianakis; Noah Seixas; Wenjin Li; Anneclaire J. De Roos; Ziding Feng; David B. Thomas; Harvey Checkoway

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2008
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 101 KB
• Volume: 51
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0271-3586
• DOI: 10.1002/ajim.20614

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Objective

A case‐cohort study was conducted to investigate associations between occupational exposures and endometrial cancer nested within a large cohort of textile workers in Shanghai, China.

Methods

The study included 176 incident endometrial cancer cases diagnosed from 1989 to 1998 and a randomly‐selected age‐stratified reference subcohort (n = 3,061). Study subjects' complete work histories were linked to a job‐exposure matrix developed specifically for the textile industry to assess occupational exposures. Hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals were calculated using Cox proportional hazards modeling adapted for the case‐cohort design, adjusting for age at menarche and a composite variable of gravidity and parity.

Results

An increased risk of endometrial cancer was detected among women who had worked for ≥10 years in silk production (HR = 3.8, 95% CI 1.2–11.8) and had exposure to silk dust (HR = 1.7, 95% CI 0.9–3.4). Albeit with few exposed women (two cases and eight subcohort women), there was a 7.4‐fold increased risk associated with ≥10 years of silica dust exposure (95% CI 1.4–39.7).

Conclusions

The findings suggest that some textile industry exposures might play a role in endometrial carcinoma and should be further replicated in other occupational settings. Am. J. Ind. Med. 51:673–679, 2008. Published 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.