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Occupation and risk of female breast cancer: A case‐control study in Morocco
Author(s) -
Khalis Mohamed,
El Rhazi Karima,
Fort Emmanuel,
Chajès Véronique,
Charaka Hafida,
Huybrechts Inge,
Moskal Aurélie,
Biessy Carine,
Romieu Isabelle,
Abbass Fouad,
El Marnissi Boujemaa,
Mellas Nawfel,
Nejjari Chakib,
Soliman Amr S.,
Charbotel Barbara
Publication year - 2019
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.23027
Subject(s) - medicine , breast cancer , odds ratio , confidence interval , case control study , demography , occupational medicine , logistic regression , environmental health , confounding , cancer , population , residence , occupational exposure , sociology
Background Breast cancer is the most frequent cancer among Moroccan women. Environmental and occupational factors may play a role in breast cancer etiology. This study aimed to investigate the association between occupation, industry, and breast cancer risk among Moroccan women. Methods A total of 300 breast cancer cases and 300 controls (matched by age and area of residence) were included in this study. Full occupational history was collected, with a detailed description of each job held for at least 6 months. Occupations were coded according to the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO 08) and the Moroccan Analytical Classification of Professions (2001). Industries were coded according to the Statistical Classification of Economic Activities in the European Community (2008). Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs), adjusted for potential confounders were estimated by using conditional logistic regression. Results An overall decreased risk of breast cancer was observed among women doing only household work (OR = 0.32; 95% CI = 0.18‐0.55). An increased risk of breast cancer was observed among women in agricultural occupations, particularly those employed as agricultural laborers (ISCO 08 code: 921; OR = 2.91; 95% CI = 1.51‐5.60) and the risk increased with duration of employment ( P trend = .01). Analyses by industry corroborated these findings. Conclusions Our findings suggest that occupational exposures may be associated with increased risk of breast cancer among female agricultural workers in this population. Further investigations, with advanced methods of occupational exposure assessment, are warranted to clarify the role of chemicals involved in this high‐risk occupation and to suggest preventive actions and screening.