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The Occupational Cancer Research Program of the British Columbia 

Cancer Agency:  1982‐2012

UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA, EDMONTONCLINICAL SCIENCES BUILDING

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CARCINOEMBRYONIC  ANTIGEN(CEA)

Correlation suggested between CEAblood titers and degrees of sputumcytology abnormalities.

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Occupational CancerResearch Program

1.  Identify occupational cancer risk 

2.  Identify carcinogens in the workplace

Occupational CancerResearch Program

1.  Identify occupational cancer risk 

2.  Identify carcinogens in the workplace

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DEATH CERTIFICATE

• CAUSE OF DEATH

• USUAL OCCUPATION

• ADDRESS AT DEATH

DEATH CERTIFICATE

• CAUSE OF DEATH

• USUAL OCCUPATION

• ADDRESS AT DEATH

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DEATH CERTIFICATE

• CAUSE OF DEATH

• USUAL OCCUPATION

• ADDRESS AT DEATH

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BC CANCER REGISTRYPATHOLOGY REPORTS

• HOSPITAL

• PATIENT’S  NAME, SEX, AGE

• SITE, HISTOLOGY

• PHYSICIAN’S NAME

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FOLLOW‐UP

• POSTCARD REMINDER 2nd week

• PHONE CALLS 4th and  6th week

• INCOMPLETE QUESTIONNAIRE Phone call 

QUESTIONNAIRES SENT AND RECEIVEDREASONS FOR NOT RETURNING 

Number %

Questionnaires 

Sent 25726 100

Received 15463 60.1

Not received 10263 39.9

Patient refusal 5803 56.5

Deceased or too ill 3847 37.5

Lost to follow‐up/Other 613 5.8

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PATIENTS’  CHARACTERISTICS

Mean age  SD 64.3  12.9

Caucasian 96%

Married 81%

Education (mean years) 10.1  2.3

Cigarette smoking 81.3%

Alcohol consumption 86.9%

TUMOR SITE DISTRIBUTION

• 1000 + Colon, rectum, lung, non‐melanoma skin, prostate, bladder

• 500‐999 Stomach, melanoma skin, kidney, NHL

• 200‐499 Oral cavity/pharynx, brainlarynx,  testis, leukemia

• 100‐199 Esophagus, pancreas, soft tissue sarcoma, Hodgkin’s, multiple myeloma

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JOURNAL OF  OCCUPATIONAL AND  ENVIRONMENTAL  MEDICINE

JOURNAL OF OCCUPATIONAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL MEDICINE

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Occupational Cancer Research Program

1.  Identify occupational cancer risk factors

2.  Identify carcinogens in the workplace

JOB‐EXPOSURE MATRIX(JEM)

Associates chemical and physical exposures to job‐titles in a given industry.

Enables to pool in the analyses, all subjects with  the same exposure.

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JOB‐EXPOSURE MATRIX

BC INDUSTRY BASED JEM

HIERARCHICAL CODING SYSTEM

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HIERARCHICAL CODING SYSTEM

• Chemicals coded according to structures and properties

• Substances grouped by chemical class and common constituents

• Allows analysis of individual, classes and broad groups of agents 

• Increases statistical power by grouping chemicals with similar structural features

• Differentiates between compounds of similar structure, but different carcinogenic potential

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CASE‐CONTROL STUDY OF PROSTATE CANCER

Identify chemical substances associated with an increased prostate cancer risk.

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CASE (prostate cancer)‐CONTROL (other cancer excluding lung and unknown primary) STUDY

Cases Controls

Total 1516 4994

Studied* 1153 3999

Farmers 113 316

Linked to BC agricultural job‐exposure matrix

* After excluding farmers who worked as farmers outside British Columbia.

AGRICULTURE CHEMICALS SIGNIFICANTLY ASSOCIATED WITH A PROSTATE CANCER RISK

• Organophosphorus

azinphos, diazinon, dimethoate, fenthion, malathion, parathion

• Organochlorine

Aldrin, DDT, dicofol

• Carbamate: carbaryl

• Quinone: dichlone

• Triazine: simazine

AGRICULTURE CHEMICALS SIGNIFICANTLY ASSOCIATED WITH A PROSTATE CANCER RISK

• Inorganic : copper sulphate, copper oxide

• Thiazole : captan

• Bipyridilium : paraquat

• Other : dichloropropane

chinemethionat

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The Occupational Cancer ResearchProgram of the British Columbia 

Cancer Agency: 1982‐2012

PUBLICATIONS

Book chapters 7

Peer‐reviewed publications 52

SUPPORT 3 460 000$

BC Worker’s Compensation Board

BC Health Research Foundation

Health Canada (NHRDP)

Director Band PRStatisticians Spinelli J, Coldman A,  Le NEpidemiologists  Gallagher R, Ward H,  Deschamps, MProgrammers Threlfall W, Ng V, Fang RChemical engineers Grace J, Bert J, Anderson, J, Astrakianakis G, 

Keefe AIndustrial hygienist Svirchev, LResearch coordinators  Moody J, Raynor D, Wong  M,  Kan D

The Occupational Cancer Research Program of the British Columbia Cancer Agency:  1982‐2012