Cancer incidence and adverse pregnancy outcome in registered nurses potentially exposed to antineoplastic drugs

Ratner, Pamela A; Spinelli, John J; Beking, Kris; Lorenzi, Maria; Chow, Yat; Teschke, Kay; Le, Nhu D; Gallagher, Richard P; Dimich-Ward, Helen

doi:10.1186/1472-6955-9-15

BMC Nursing

Table 3 Relative risk of selected cancer incidence for female registered nurses according to weighted duration of exposure to antineoplastic agents (method 2), 1974-2000 (N = 56,213)^1,2,3,4

From: Cancer incidence and adverse pregnancy outcome in registered nurses potentially exposed to antineoplastic drugs

Site (ICD-9 code)	Weighted duration of exposure⁵	Observed	RR	CI (95%)	p-value⁶
All cancers except	< 15 days	2905	1.00		0.452
non-melanoma skin	15 to < 60 days	150	1.11	0.94-1.30
	≥ 60 days	44	1.00	0.74-1.35
	top 2 categories combined	194	1.08	0.93-1.25
Colon (153,159)	< 15 days	225	1.00		0.710
	15 to < 60 days	11	1.16	0.63-2.13
	≥ 60 days	< 3
	top 2 categories combined	13	0.99	0.56-1.74
Rectum (154)	< 15 days	116	1.00		0.037
	15 to < 60 days	10	1.85	0.96-3.56
	≥ 60 days	4	1.93	0.71-5.25
	top 2 categories combined	14	1.87	1.07-3.29
Lung (162)	< 15 days	202	1.00		0.867
	15 to < 60 days	11	1.24	0.67-2.28
	≥ 60 days	3	0.83	0.27-2.61
	top 2 categories combined	14	1.22	0.65-1.94
Melanoma (172)	< 15 days	191	1.00		0.400
	15 to < 60 days	12	1.28	0.71-2.30
	≥ 60 days	3	1.28	0.41-4.02
	top 2 categories combined	15	1.28	0.75-2.18
Breast (174)	< 15 days	1199	1.00		0.267
	15 to < 60 days	64	1.08	0.84-1.39
	≥ 60 days	23	1.23	0.82-1.87
	top 2 categories combined	87	1.12	0.89-1.39
Uterus (179-182)	< 15 days	290	1.00		0.696
	15 to < 60 days	9	0.72	0.37-1.40
	≥ 60 days	7	1.66	0.78-3.53
	top 2 categories combined	16	0.95	0.57-1.59
Ovary (183)	< 15 days	144	1.00		0.209
	15 to < 60 days	6	0.90	0.40-2.06
	≥ 60 days	< 3
	top 2 categories combined	6	0.68	0.30-1.55
Bladder - including in-situ (188)	< 15 days	78	1.00		0.394
	15 to < 60 days	6	2.00	0.86-4.65
	≥ 60 days	< 3
	top 2 categories combined	7	1.67	0.76-3.67
Brain (191-192)	< 15 days	43	1.00		0.292
	15 to < 60 days	3	1.76	0.54-5.80
	≥ 60 days	< 3	1.88	0.26-13.87
	top 2 categories combined	4	1.79	0.63-5.10
Thyroid (193)	< 15 days	82	1.00		0.408
	15 to < 60 days	4	0.93	0.34-2.56
	≥ 60 days
		< 3
	top 2 categories combined	4	0.74	0.27-2.05
Ill-defined (195)	< 15 days	81	1.00		0.181
	15 to < 60 days	5	1.33	0.54-3.31
	≥ 60 days	3	2.09	0.66-6.65
	top 2 categories combined	8	1.54	0.74-3.21
Lymphatic & Hematopoietic	< 15 days	219	1.00		0.482
(200-208)	15 to < 60 days	9	0.93	0.47-1.82
	≥ 60 days	< 3
	top 2 categories combined	11	0.84	0.46-1.55
Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma	< 15 days	121	1.00		0.643
(200, 202)	15 to < 60 days	6	1.06	0.47-2.43
	≥ 60 days	< 3	0.49	0.07-3.52
	top 2 categories combined	7	0.91	0.42-1.96
Leukemia (204-208)	< 15 days	59	1.00		0.930
	15 to < 60 days	< 3
	≥ 60 days	< 3
	top 2 categories combined	3	0.89	0.27 - 2.88

¹ Based on Poisson regression using a 10-year lag.
² Cancer with an incidence of less than 3 were excluded.
³ N for top 2 categories of antineoplastic drug exposure = 7,635.
⁴ Adjusted for age and calendar year.
⁵ A weighted duration of exposure of 15 days is equivalent to full-time work for one year (240 days) at a job considered unlikely to be exposed; a weighted duration of exposure of 60 days is equivalent to full-time work for one year at a job considered possibly exposed.
⁶ Significance of the trend, derived from chi-square analysis.

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ISSN: 1472-6955

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