Occupational variation in incidence of oropharyngeal cancer in the Nordic countries

Rayan Nikkilä; Antti Mäkitie; Timo Carpén; Johnni Hansen; Sanna Heikkinen; Elsebeth Lynge; Jenny Selander; Ingrid Sivesind Mehlum; Jóhanna Eyrún Torfadottir; Tuula Salo; Eero Pukkala

doi:10.1007/s00405-023-08168-6

Occupational variation in incidence of oropharyngeal cancer in the Nordic countries

Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2024 Jan;281(1):343-350. doi: 10.1007/s00405-023-08168-6. Epub 2023 Aug 10.

Authors

Rayan Nikkilä^{1

2}, Antti Mäkitie^{3

4

5}, Timo Carpén^{1

6

7}, Johnni Hansen⁸, Sanna Heikkinen², Elsebeth Lynge⁹, Jenny Selander¹⁰, Ingrid Sivesind Mehlum^{11

12}, Jóhanna Eyrún Torfadottir^{13

14}, Tuula Salo^{15

16}, Eero Pukkala^{2

17}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of Helsinki, HUS Helsinki University Hospital, P.O. Box 263, 00029 HUS, Helsinki, Finland.
² Finnish Cancer Registry,, Institute for Statistical and Epidemiological Cancer and Research, Helsinki, Finland.
³ Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of Helsinki, HUS Helsinki University Hospital, P.O. Box 263, 00029 HUS, Helsinki, Finland. antti.makitie@helsinki.fi.
⁴ Division of Ear, Nose and Throat Diseases, Department of Clinical Sciences, Intervention and Technology, Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden. antti.makitie@helsinki.fi.
⁵ Research Program in Systems Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland. antti.makitie@helsinki.fi.
⁶ Research Program in Systems Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
⁷ Department of Pathology, University of Helsinki, HUS Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.
⁸ Danish Cancer Society Research Center, Copenhagen, Denmark.
⁹ Nykøbing Falster Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Nykøbing Falster, Denmark.
¹⁰ Institute of Environmental Medicine, IMM Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
¹¹ National Institute of Occupational Health (STAMI), Oslo, Norway.
¹² Institute of Health and Society, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
¹³ Icelandic Cancer Registry, Reykjavik, Iceland.
¹⁴ Centre of Public Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland.
¹⁵ Cancer and Translational Medicine Unit, Medical Research Unit, University of Oulu, Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland.
¹⁶ Oral and Maxillofacial Diseases, University of Helsinki, and Haartman Institute, Helsinki, Finland.
¹⁷ Health Sciences Unit, Faculty of Social Sciences, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland.

Abstract

Purpose: Evaluate the occupational variation in incidence of oropharyngeal cancer (OPC).

Methods: We calculated standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) of OPC in occupational categories in the Nordic countries relative to the entire national populations. The data covered 6155 OPC cases.

Results: Among men high risk of OPC was observed, among else, in waiters (SIR 6.28, 95% CI 4.68-8.26), beverage workers (SIR 3.00, 95% CI 1.72-4.88), and artistic workers (SIR 2.97, 95% CI 2.31-3.76). Among women high risk of OPC was observed in waiters (SIR 2.02, 95% CI 1.41-2.81) and packers (SIR 1.73, 95% CI 1.07-2.64). The lowest SIRs were observed in female gardeners (SIR 0.27, 95% CI 0.12-0.51) and male farmers (SIR 0.30, 95% CI 0.25-0.35).

Conclusion: The 20-fold variation in incidence of OPC between occupations needs further investigation in studies with detailed information on occupational and non-occupational risk factors.

Keywords: Head and neck cancer; OPC; Occupational risk; Oropharyngeal cancer; Oropharynx.

MeSH terms

Female
Humans
Incidence
Male
Neoplasms*
Occupational Diseases* / epidemiology
Occupational Diseases* / etiology
Occupational Exposure* / adverse effects
Oropharyngeal Neoplasms* / epidemiology
Risk Factors
Scandinavian and Nordic Countries / epidemiology