Nonoccupational exposure to agricultural work and risk of urinary bladder cancer among Egyptian women

ABSTRACT

This study examined the associations between nonoccupational exposure to agricultural work, through husband or head of household (H/HH) occupation, and urinary bladder cancer risk among Egyptian women. A total of 1,167 women (388 bladder cases and 779 age- and residence-matched, population-based controls) from a multicenter case-control study were included in the analysis. Adjusted odds ratios (AORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using logistic regression. Among married women, those who reported H/HH to be an agricultural worker were at increased risk for bladder cancer as compared to those with H/HH in other occupations, AOR = 1.54, 95% CI [1.09, 2.18]; among unmarried women the risk was not increased, AOR = 0.77, 95% CI [0.45, 1.32]. Nonoccupational exposure to agricultural work, defined as living with an agricultural worker, increased the risk for bladder cancer among married Egyptian women.

KEYWORDS:

• Agricultural worker
• bladder cancer
• Egypt
• nonoccupational exposure
• women

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the Ministry of Health and Population of Egypt and the National Cancer Institute of Cairo University, the Minia Oncology Center, and the South Egypt Cancer Institute in Assiut for supporting the study. The authors are also indebted to the many interviewers, translators, drivers, and other support personnel who made the study possible through their dedicated work. The authors thank especially Drs. Doa'a A. Saleh, Sameera Ezzat, and Tamer Hifnawy for their contributions in supervising the recruitment of participants; Drs. Iman Gouda and Iman Loay for confirming all histopathological cases; Dr. Nabiel N. Mikhail for data entry and data management; Dr. Mohamed Abdel-Hamid for his assistance with the scientific oversight; and Drs. Hussein Khaled, Mohamed S. Zaghloul, and Mohamed A. Abdel-Aziz for facilitating access to recruitment sites.

Funding

This study was supported by a grant from the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health (R01-CA115618 to CAL).