Cancer risks in a population-based study of agricultural workers: results from the Taiwan’s Farmers and Health Cohort study
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess cancer risk among agricultural workers compared to the general population. METHODS: The study utilized data from Farmers’ Health Insurance (FHI) in Taiwan, which enrolled agricultural workers (N=1 175 149). The enrolled workers were matched to a gen...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nordic Association of Occupational Safety and Health (NOROSH)
2023-09-01
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| Series: | Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health |
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| Online Access: |
https://www.sjweh.fi/article/4106
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| _version_ | 1797730971877900288 |
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| author | Wei-Liang Chen Gwan-Ling Lin Yu-Jen Lin Ting-Yao Su Chung-Ching Wang Wei-Te Wu |
| author_facet | Wei-Liang Chen Gwan-Ling Lin Yu-Jen Lin Ting-Yao Su Chung-Ching Wang Wei-Te Wu |
| author_sort | Wei-Liang Chen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess cancer risk among agricultural workers compared to the general population. METHODS: The study utilized data from Farmers’ Health Insurance (FHI) in Taiwan, which enrolled agricultural workers (N=1 175 149). The enrolled workers were matched to a general population (N=1 175 149) of the same age, gender, township, and enrollment year. The study population was linked to the National Cancer Registry to identify new cancer cases between 2000 and 2018. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to estimate the hazard ratio and 95% confidence interval for outcomes. RESULTS: During the study period, 136 913 new cancers among agricultural workers were identified. The study found that male farmers had an increased cancer risk, including lymphocytic leukemia, chronic myelogenous leukemia, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL), oral cancer, lip cancer, esophagus cancer, rectum and rectosigmoid junction cancer, liver and intrahepatic bile duct cancer, lung cancer, trachea and bronchi cancer, and other non-melanoma skin cancer, even when considering the latency period. Female farmers had an elevated risk of multiple myeloma and other non-melanoma skin cancer. Moreover, only lymphoma, NHL, other lymphoid, and multiple myeloma, were both found to occur at different insurance periods. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides farmer cancer patterns and risk, adding to the evidence that farmers are at increased risk of certain types of cancer, especially for hematological cancers. As exposure varies by farm operation type, individual farmer exposure may vary widely. Further understanding of the complex relationship between occupational exposure, environmental factors, and lifestyle factors is needed. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T11:52:38Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-bad13708e6724434bb9c8a5458259bd3 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0355-3140 1795-990X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T11:52:38Z |
| publishDate | 2023-09-01 |
| publisher | Nordic Association of Occupational Safety and Health (NOROSH) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-bad13708e6724434bb9c8a5458259bd32023-08-31T06:18:04ZengNordic Association of Occupational Safety and Health (NOROSH)Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health0355-31401795-990X2023-09-0149641942710.5271/sjweh.41064106Cancer risks in a population-based study of agricultural workers: results from the Taiwan’s Farmers and Health Cohort studyWei-Liang ChenGwan-Ling LinYu-Jen LinTing-Yao SuChung-Ching WangWei-Te Wu0National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences National Health Research Institutes, 35 Keyan Road, Zhunan, Miaoli County, 35053 Taiwan, ROC.OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess cancer risk among agricultural workers compared to the general population. METHODS: The study utilized data from Farmers’ Health Insurance (FHI) in Taiwan, which enrolled agricultural workers (N=1 175 149). The enrolled workers were matched to a general population (N=1 175 149) of the same age, gender, township, and enrollment year. The study population was linked to the National Cancer Registry to identify new cancer cases between 2000 and 2018. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to estimate the hazard ratio and 95% confidence interval for outcomes. RESULTS: During the study period, 136 913 new cancers among agricultural workers were identified. The study found that male farmers had an increased cancer risk, including lymphocytic leukemia, chronic myelogenous leukemia, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL), oral cancer, lip cancer, esophagus cancer, rectum and rectosigmoid junction cancer, liver and intrahepatic bile duct cancer, lung cancer, trachea and bronchi cancer, and other non-melanoma skin cancer, even when considering the latency period. Female farmers had an elevated risk of multiple myeloma and other non-melanoma skin cancer. Moreover, only lymphoma, NHL, other lymphoid, and multiple myeloma, were both found to occur at different insurance periods. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides farmer cancer patterns and risk, adding to the evidence that farmers are at increased risk of certain types of cancer, especially for hematological cancers. As exposure varies by farm operation type, individual farmer exposure may vary widely. Further understanding of the complex relationship between occupational exposure, environmental factors, and lifestyle factors is needed. https://www.sjweh.fi/article/4106 exposurecanceragricultural workerfarmerpopulation-based studytaiwantaiwan’s farmers and health cohortnational-based database |
| spellingShingle | Wei-Liang Chen Gwan-Ling Lin Yu-Jen Lin Ting-Yao Su Chung-Ching Wang Wei-Te Wu Cancer risks in a population-based study of agricultural workers: results from the Taiwan’s Farmers and Health Cohort study Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health exposure cancer agricultural worker farmer population-based study taiwan taiwan’s farmers and health cohort national-based database |
| title | Cancer risks in a population-based study of agricultural workers: results from the Taiwan’s Farmers and Health Cohort study |
| title_full | Cancer risks in a population-based study of agricultural workers: results from the Taiwan’s Farmers and Health Cohort study |
| title_fullStr | Cancer risks in a population-based study of agricultural workers: results from the Taiwan’s Farmers and Health Cohort study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Cancer risks in a population-based study of agricultural workers: results from the Taiwan’s Farmers and Health Cohort study |
| title_short | Cancer risks in a population-based study of agricultural workers: results from the Taiwan’s Farmers and Health Cohort study |
| title_sort | cancer risks in a population based study of agricultural workers results from the taiwan s farmers and health cohort study |
| topic | exposure cancer agricultural worker farmer population-based study taiwan taiwan’s farmers and health cohort national-based database |
| url |
https://www.sjweh.fi/article/4106
|
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