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Confounders and confusion: Dealing with cancer cases of occupational origin
Author(s) -
Crosignani Paolo,
Amendola Plinio,
Scaburri Alessandra,
Chiappino Giovanni,
Marinaccio Alessandro
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
american journal of industrial medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.7
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1097-0274
pISSN - 0271-3586
DOI - 10.1002/ajim.20847
Subject(s) - medicine , confusion , confounding , cancer , attributable risk , occupational disease , occupational exposure , population , disease , occupational medicine , occupational cancer , environmental health , demography , pathology , psychology , sociology , psychoanalysis
Background The recognition of occupational cancers is often hampered by confusion between the individual determinants of the disease and effects at the group level. Methods Here we propose an approach, based on the evaluation of the attributable risk at the group level, that provides quantitative estimates of the roles of multiple causes in individuals affected of cancer within a population exposed to occupational risk. Results The estimate of individual probability can be easily obtained computing the attributable risk. This can be often achieved by using the existing information available in the literature. Conclusions Dismissing the occupation as a cause of a cancer in an exposed subject on the sole basis of potential confounding is erroneous and should be withdrawn from medical practice. Am. J. Ind. Med. 53:1002–1005, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.