Abstract 1633P
Background
Asbestos exposure causes some malignancies. Several studies and financial aids for mesothelioma patients are available but are limited for other malignancies. This study aimed to determine the distribution of incidence and the association of malignancies with asbestos exposure.
Methods
Data on mesothelioma, lung cancer, ovarian cancer, and laryngeal cancer from 2011 to 2017 were acquired from the national cancer registry database in Japan. The density of asbestos-exposed workplaces was determined from public data from 2005 to 2020. Variation in age-standardized incidence rates (ASR) between prefectures was assessed by funnel plots. An adjusted Mixed-effect Poisson model was used to study the association between the density of asbestos-exposed workplaces and cancer incidence.
Results
The study included 9,743 patients with pleural mesothelioma, 1,607 patients with non-pleural mesothelioma, 765,484 patients with lung cancer, and 35,187 patients with laryngeal cancer, and 75,166 patients with ovarian cancer. A total of 12,148 asbestos-exposed workplaces were identified. Prefectures with more asbestos-exposed workplaces had significantly higher incidence rates for pleural mesothelioma (incidence rate ratio [IRR] 1.85, p < 0.05), non-pleural mesothelioma among males only (IRR 1.34,p < 0.05), lung cancer (IRR 1.14, p < 0.005), and laryngeal cancer (IRR 1.12, p < 0.05). The incidence of non-pleural mesothelioma in women tended to be higher in prefectures with many asbestos-exposed workplaces.(IRR 1.25, p = 0.15).
Conclusions
This study revealed that prefectures with more asbestos-exposed workplaces had a higher incidence rate of mesothelioma, lung cancer, and laryngeal cancer. This large population-based analysis suggested a strong association between asbestos-exposed workplaces and the incidence of malignancies. Moreover, a higher incidence of malignancies was also observed among women with less occupational exposure. This indicated that non-occupational exposures, including familial and neighborhood factors, contributed to the increased risk of malignancies.
Clinical trial identification
Editorial acknowledgement
Legal entity responsible for the study
The authors.
Funding
Has not received any funding.
Disclosure
All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.