PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

E Lynge

Publications and source records attributed to E Lynge.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1996

Lung cancer in asbestos cement workers in Denmark.

OBJECTIVES: To study the relative and absolute risks of main types of lung cancer in a cohort of asbestos cement workers from Denmark. METHOD: A cohort of 7887 men and 576 women employed between 1928 and 1984 was compiled from the personnel files of Danish Eternit Production. The cohort was followed up for deaths, emigrations, and incident cancer cases during the period 1943-90. The observed number of lung cancer cases in the cohort was compared with the expected number based on incidences for the Danish population. Internal comparison was made with Poisson modelling. RESULTS: A total of 226 lung cancer cases were observed (223 men and three women). The standardised incidence ratio (SIR) for all lung cancer among men was 1.7 (observed number 223, expected number 129.7, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.5-2.0). The SIRs were raised for all main types of lung cancer; adenocarcinoma 2.6, squamous cell carcinoma 1.7, and anaplastic carcinoma 1.5. The higher SIR for adenocarcinomas was found particularly with a latency period of 25 years or more. Among the 93 excess lung cancer cases, 36 were squamous cell carcinomas and 32 were adenocarcinomas. CONCLUSION: Asbestos cement work is associated with an increased risk of lung cancer of all main types. During the first 25 years after the start of employment this excess risk is shared almost equally between the different histological types of lung cancer, but the risk of adenocarcinomas is clearly higher after this point.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1996

Exposure to styrene and mortality from nonmalignant respiratory diseases.

A cohort of 34,560 men and 6128 women employed in 660 European factories manufacturing reinforced plastic products, followed up originally to assess the risk of cancer, was used to assess the risk of non-malignant respiratory diseases associated with exposure to styrene. Mortality from pneumonia was associated with intensity of exposure to styrene, but this may have been due to chance. Mortality from bronchitis, emphysema, and asthma was not associated with styrene exposure.

Cohort Studies↗
PubMed1996

Cancer incidence in Danish health care workers.

Health care workers are exposed to various occupational hazards. In a register linkage study we investigated cancer incidence in health care personnel in Denmark. The overall cancer incidence was elevated in female general and dental practitioners. Male doctors had a risk of brain cancer twice as high as expected. Male dental practitioners, female hospital doctors and nurses had significantly high risks of melanomas of the skin. The breast cancer risk was elevated among female salaried dentists, hospital doctors, and nurses. Female cleaners had a significantly elevated risk of leukemia (31 cases, SIR 1.54). The lung cancer risk was low in several occupational groups. This indicates a change in risk behavior related to tobacco smoking. A high risk of skin melanomas may indicate that behaviour related to sunlight exposure has not changed.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Use of cancer incidence data in identification of cancer causation.

This paper discusses the use of cancer incidence data in identification of cancer causation. Selective descriptive and analytical epidemiological studies were reviewed. These examples were taken primarily from Denmark, where the possibilities for epidemiological research are good due to the existence of many exposure and disease registers. Descriptive studies are still needed for a better understanding of cancer. Analytical studies of individual risk factors today often show relative risks of only 1.5 to 2, and these are difficult to translate into preventive recommendations. Epidemiology still remains the best available tool for identification of risk factors.

Humans↗
PubMed1996

Underreporting of occupational cancers in Denmark.

OBJECTIVES: The goal of the study was to investigate whether the reporting of occupational cancers has improved in Denmark since 1987 and whether medical records currently have better information on occupational exposures. METHODS: All cases of pleural mesothelioma and sinonasal adenocarcinoma and 766 randomly selected adenocarcinomas of the lung diagnosed between 1983 and 1990 were identified from the Cancer Register. These cases were traced in the Register of Reported Occupational Diseases and in the records of the National Board of Industrial Injuries. Medical records for patients not reported to the Register of Reported Occupational Diseases were requested from hospitals and the data on work-related exposure were retrieved. RESULTS: For pleural mesotheliomas the frequency of reporting increased from 43% in 1983-1987 to 53% in 1988-1990. The frequency of reporting of sinonasal adenocarcinomas decreased from 34 to 20% in these periods. Of the adenocarcinomas of the lung, 1% had been reported. CONCLUSION: Overall the reporting of occupational cancer has not improved in Denmark since 1987.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1996

Clonal chromosome aberrations in myeloid leukemia after styrene exposure.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of the study was to determine the risk of myeloid leukemia subclassified according to clonal chromosome aberrations in styrene-exposed workers. METHODS: A nested case-referent study was carried out on 19 myeloid leukemia patients, of which 12 showed clonal chromosome aberrations, and 57 referents ascertained within the Danish reinforced plastics industry and similar industries with no styrene exposure. RESULTS: A 2.5-fold increased risk for myeloid leukemia with clonal chromosome aberrations (95% confidence interval 0.2-25.0) was found among workers of companies with styrene exposure. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that styrene may cause leukemia through a clastogenic effect. But similar findings could also have been found if the exposure was associated with a specific subtype of leukemia prone to develop the chromosome aberrations in question. Due to the few observations and the lack of detailed exposure data, additional studies are needed to corroborate or refute the present suggestive findings.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Exposure to styrene and mortality from nonmalignant diseases of the genitourinary system.

OBJECTIVES: A historical cohort study was carried out to investigate mortality from nonmalignant diseases of the genitourinary system among workers in the reinforced plastics industry, where high workroom concentrations of styrene are encountered. METHODS: The external comparisons in this report were based on an average of 12.6 years of retrospective follow-up of 35 443 workers who were first employed in the reinforced plastics industry during 1945-1991 and were known to have been exposed to styrene in their work. For the internal comparisons, 2641 subjects with incomplete occupational histories were excluded, leaving 32 802 subjects. Previous individual exposure histories to styrene were reconstructed through job histories and environmental and biological monitoring data. RESULTS: Mortality from nonmalignant diseases of the genitourinary system (N = 20) was associated with average exposure to styrene (P for trend 0.05). Weaker increasing trends in risk were seen for time since first exposure and cumulative exposure, while no increase was identified for duration of exposure. There was a significant increasing trend in mortality from nephritis and nephrosis (N = 5), associated with an increasing average level of exposure to styrene (P for trend 0.03). No clear trend was observed for time since first exposure, duration of exposure, or cumulative exposure. CONCLUSIONS: In this large cohort study of workers exposed to styrene, mortality from nonmalignant diseases of the genitourinary system increased as the average intensity of exposure increased. This finding indicates that other data should be scrutinized.

Air Pollutants, Occupational↗
PubMed1996

Incidence of lung cancer among cobalt-exposed women.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to estimate the risk of lung cancer for women occupationally exposed to cobalt-aluminate spinel. METHODS: A retrospective cohort of 874 women occupationally exposed to cobalt in two Danish porcelain factories and 520 women not exposed to cobalt were identified from personnel files. Vital status was assessed in the national population register, and incident cancer cases were traced in the national cancer register. Thirteen women (0.92%) were lost to follow-up. The observed deaths and incident cancer cases were compared with the expected number based on rates for all Danish women. RESULTS: The total mortality of the cohort was the same as for all Danish women. The incidence of all cancer was slightly elevated among the exposed women (67 observed, 55.8 expected) and equal to the expected in the reference group (60 observed, 60.6 expected). An increased lung cancer incidence was found both in the exposed group [8 cases, standardized incidence rate (SIR) 2.35, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.01-4.6] and in the reference group (7 cases, SIR 1.99, 95% CI 0.8-4.1). The exposed group had a relative risk ratio of 1.2 (95% CI 0.4-3.8) when compared with the reference group. CONCLUSIONS: Both the cobalt-exposed group and the reference group had an increased lung cancer risk compared with all Danish women, but the risk was only slightly higher for the exposed group than for the reference group. The study was based on few persons, and we recommend a follow-up after five years.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Cancer in printing workers in Denmark.

OBJECTIVES: To study the cancer incidence in printing workers in Denmark. METHODS: The cohort of 15,534 men and 3593 women working in the printing industry in 1970 were followed up for death, emigrations, and incident cancer cases until the end of 1987. Their cancer incidence was compared with that of all economically active people in Denmark. The smoking and drinking habits reported by members of the printing trade unions at a survey in 1972 were compared with habits reported by members of other trade unions. RESULTS: Lung, bladder, renal pelvis, and primary liver cancers were in excess among the printing workers. The excess risks of lung cancer among the factory workers in newspaper and magazine production, of bladder cancer in typographers in printing establishments, of renal pelvis cancer in typographers and lithographers, and of primary liver cancer among lithographers and bookbinders exceeded those expected based on the reported smoking and drinking habits. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate, in line with a previous study from Manchester, that work with rotary letterpress printing was associated with an increased risk of lung cancer. The inconsistent results from studies on bladder cancer in printing workers may point to a risk confined to a certain subgroup. The sixfold risk of primary liver cancer in Danish lithographers warrants studies in other countries.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Exposure to styrene and chronic health effects: mortality and incidence of solid cancers in the Danish reinforced plastics industry.

OBJECTIVES: To study the occurrence of non-malignant diseases and solid cancers in workers exposed to styrene in the Danish reinforced plastics industry. METHODS: All 36,610 workers of 386 reinforced plastics companies and 14,293 workers not exposed to styrene from similar industries were followed up from 1970 to 1990. This industry is characterised by simple exposure conditions, exposure to high concentrations of styrene, and a high proportion of small companies, and the exposure assessment was based on experts' classification on a company level. The mortality from non-malignant causes and the incidence of solid cancers were compared with the national rates. Poisson models were used for internal comparisons. RESULTS: A total of 3031 deaths and 1134 newly diagnosed cases of solid cancer were reported in the workers in the reinforced plastics industry. In companies where 50% or more of the workers produced reinforced plastics an increased mortality rate ratio (MRR) for degenerative disorders of the nervous system (multiple sclerosis, parkinsonism, and motor neurone disease; MRR 1.8, 16 cases, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.9-3.8) and an increased incidence rate ratio (IRR) for pancreatic cancer (IRR 2.2, 17 cases, 95% CI 1.1-4.5) was found. For both disease categories increased occurrence was also found among long term workers, workers of the 1960s (the period with the highest exposure to styrene), and workers with a latent period of more than 10 years after the start of employment. No other non-malignant diseases or solid cancers showed these patterns. CONCLUSION: The findings have to be interpreted with caution, due to the company based exposure assessment, but the possible association between exposures in the reinforced plastics industry, mainly styrene, and degenerative disorders of the nervous system and pancreatic cancer, deserves attention.

Cause of Death↗
PubMed1995

Primary liver cancer and renal cell carcinoma in laundry and dry-cleaning workers in Denmark.

OBJECTIVES: Previous studies have shown an excess risk of primary liver cancer among women working in laundries and dry-cleaning shops in Denmark at the time of the census in 1970. During the period 1970-1987, 14 cases of primary liver cancer were observed (standardized mortality ratio 2.7, 95% confidence interval 1.5-4.5). A nested case-referent study was undertaken in order to classify laundry workers and dry-cleaning workers separately. According to hints in the literature, renal-cell carcinomas were also included in this analysis. METHODS: Original census forms from 1970 were retrieved from the Danish National Record Office for the 17 cases with primary liver cancer and the 16 cases with renal-cell carcinoma and five matched referents per case. RESULTS: All of the 17 patients with primary liver cancer worked in laundries in 1970, whereas only 74% of the referents worked in laundries. Neither was the risk of renal-cell carcinoma associated with dry-cleaning work (relative risk 0.7, 95% CI 0.2-2.6). CONCLUSIONS: The excess risk of primary liver cancer observed for women working in laundries and dry-cleaning shops in Denmark is not likely to be explained by exposure to dry-cleaning solvents. Excessive alcohol consumption is not a likely explanation either, and the excess risk therefore remains unexplained.

Carcinoma, Renal Cell↗
PubMed1994

[Improved prognosis of breast cancer].

The trend in the prognosis of female patients with breast cancer has been investigated by comparing Kaplan-Meier survival curves of different patient cohorts diagnosed during the period 1948-87. The study is based on 71,448 patients from the Danish Cancer Registry. The cohorts were defined by age at diagnosis, year of diagnosis and residential area. The survival time from diagnosis to death nearly doubled from 1948-57 to 1978-87 with the most important improvement taking place after 1978. Patients diagnosed in 1948-77 in the Copenhagen area had a far better prognosis than patients during this period in the rest of the country. For patients diagnosed in 1978-87 the prognosis, however, reached an equal level in all parts of the country. Thus, it is reasonable to assume that the national programme introduced in 1977 by the Danish Breast Cancer Cooperative Group (DBCG) has played an important role in these improvements.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

[Mammographic examinations in Denmark, 1990-1991].

Diagnostic mammographic activity was studied in five regions in Denmark in 1990-1991. During this period there was only one organized mammography screening programme which started in the Copenhagen municipality on 1 April 1991. It is estimated that 49,000 diagnostic mammographic examinations were made in Denmark per year in the period 1990-1991. Almost two-thirds of these mammograms were taken in women below 50 years of age. It is important to monitor the diagnostic mammographic activity to ensure that this does not gradually develop into a screening activity. This is in particular important for women below 50 years for whom screening is not recommended.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

[Colorectal cancer in Denmark 1943-1988].

Nation-wide incidence rates are presented of colorectal cancer in Denmark from 1943 to 1988. In Denmark notification of malignant and related diseases is mandatory. The percentage of histologically confirmed tumours is now 95. The annual incidence rate of colon cancer in Denmark has been increasing among men and women combined from 684 cases in 1943-1947 to 2020 cases in 1988. In the same period the incidence of rectal cancer has increased from 762 cases in 1943-1947 to 1108 cases in 1988. We analyzed the effects of age, calender time, and birth cohort with multiplicative Poisson models. We did not find consistent period effects in the models. We suggest an etiologic distinction between carcinoma of the rectum, the left colon and the right colon.

Colonic Neoplasms↗
PubMed1994

Risk of testicular cancer after vasectomy: cohort study of over 73,000 men.

OBJECTIVE: To confirm or refute reports that vasectomy may increase the risk of cancers of the testis and prostate. DESIGN: Computerised record linkage study of cohort of men with vasectomy and comparison of cancer rates with those in the whole Danish population; manual check of all records of patients with testicular and prostate cancer diagnosed within the first year of follow up. SETTING: Denmark 1977-89. SUBJECTS: Cohort of 73,917 men identified in hospital discharge and pathology registers as having had a vasectomy for any reason during 1977-89. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Observed incidences of testicular, prostate, and other cancers up to the end of 1989. RESULTS: The overall pattern of cancer incidence in the study cohort was similar to that expected nationally. No increased incidence in testicular cancer was observed (70 cases; standardised morbidity ratio 1.01 (95% confidence interval 0.79 to 1.28)). The incidence during the first year of follow up was also close to that expected (nine cases; standardised morbidity ratio 0.80 (0.36 to 1.51)). The incidence of prostate cancer was not increased (165 cases; standardised morbidity ratio 0.98 (0.84 to 1.14)). CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of testicular cancer in men with vasectomy is no higher than in other men. Vasectomy does not cause testicular cancer and does not accelerate the growth or diagnosis of pre-existing testicular neoplasms. Data concerning a causal relation between vasectomy and prostate cancer were inconclusive.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

[Consequences of incorrect interpretation of vaginal smear tests in a screening program].

A nested case-control study was undertaken in the Maribo County cohort of 27,811 women with negative cervical smears. Fifty-three women who later developed invasive cervical cancer constituted the cases, and five matched controls were selected from the cohort for each case. A total of 633 previous negative smears for the cases and controls were reviewed independently by two pathologists. The review showed misclassification to be frequent in these smears, which were collected in the period 1966-82, and the odds ratio for patients compared with controls for having at least one positive smear was 22.12 (95% CI 7.54-64.94). The study thus shows that more cancer cases could have been prevented by the screening programme were the test to have been more sensitive. The study also shows, however, that the participating women would have to pay a considerable price in the form of unnecessary extra tests if the sensitivity was too high.

Case-Control Studies↗