Abstract
Primary prevention of cancer refers to the prevention of new cases of cancer, whereas secondary prevention is aimed at reducing the negative health effects of the disease by early detection or treatment. There are three basic steps in the process of cancer prevention: risk identification, risk quantification, and risk reduction. These are discussed in detail below, after an introduction presenting the burden of occupational cancer and a review of the process in the identification and prevention of some well-established occupational carcinogens.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
GLOBOCAN. 2012. Website: www.globocan.iarc.fr. Accessed 15 Aug 2011, 12 July 2017.
Adami HO, Day NE, Trichopoulos D, et al. Primary and secondary prevention in the reduction of cancer morbidity and mortality. Eur J Cancer. 2001;37(Suppl 8):S118–27.
Danaei G, Vander Hoorn S, Lopez AD, et al. Comparative risk assessment collaborating group (cancers). Causes of cancer in the world: comparative risk assessment of nine behavioural and environmental risk factors. Lancet. 2005;366(9499):1784–93.
Doll R, Peto J. The causes of cancer, 1981. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1981;66(6):1191–308.
Rushton L, Bagga S, Bevan R, et al. Occupation and cancer in Britain. Br J Cancer. 2010;102(9):1428–37.
Nurminen M, Karjalainen A. Epidemiologic estimate of the proportion of fatalities related to occupational factors in Finland. Scand J Work Environ Health. 2001;27(3):161–213.
Landrigan PJ. The prevention of occupational cancer. CA Cancer J Clin. 1996;46(2):67–9.
International Agency for Research on Cancer. IARC monographs on the evaluation of carcinogenic risks to humans. Painting, firefighting, and shiftwork, vol. 98. Lyon: International Agency for Research on Cancer; 2010.
International Agency for Research on Cancer. IARC monographs on the evaluation of carcinogenic risks to humans. Polynuclear aromatic compounds. Part 4: Bitumen, coal-tars and derived products, vol. 33. Lyon: International Agency for Research on Cancer; 1984.
International Agency for Research on Cancer. IARC monographs on the evaluation of carcinogenic risks to humans. Some non-heterocyclic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and some related exposures, vol. 92. Lyon: International Agency for Research on Cancer; 2010.
Hogstedt C, Jansson C, Hugosson M, et al. Cancer incidence in a cohort of Swedish chimney sweeps 1958–2006. Am J Public Health. 2013;103(9):1708–14.
Pukkala E, Martinsen JI, Lynge E, et al. Occupation and cancer – follow-up of 15 million people in five Nordic countries. Acta Oncol. 2009;48(5):646–790.
International Agency for Research on Cancer. IARC monographs on the evaluation of carcinogenic risks to humans. Polynuclear aromatic compounds. Part 2: Carbon blacks, mineral oils (lubricant base oils and derived products) and some nitroarenes, vol. 33. Lyon: International Agency for Research on Cancer; 1984.
Wright JL, Morgan TM, Lin DW. Primary scrotal cancer: disease characteristics and increasing incidence. Urology. 2008;72(5):1139–43. [Epub 2008 Sept 16].
Mustacchi P. Ramazzini and Rigoni-Stern on parity and breast cancer. Clinical impression and statistical corroboration. Arch Intern Med. 1961;108:639–42.
Colditz GA, Baer HJ, Tamini RM, et al. Breast cancer. In: Schottenfeld D, Fraumeni J, editors. Cancer epidemiology and prevention. 3rd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2006. p. 995-10121022–39.
Dietrich H, Dietrich B. Ludwig Rehn (1849–1930) – pioneering findings on the aetiology of bladder tumours. World J Urol. 2001;19(2):151–3.
Case RAM, Hosker ME, MC Donald DB, et al. Tumours of the urinary bladder in workmen engaged in the manufacture and use of certain dyestuff intermediates in the British chemical industry. Br J Ind Med. 1954;11:75–104.
Kogevinas M, Sala M, Boffetta P, et al. Cancer risk in the rubber industry: a review of the recent epidemiological evidence. Occup Environ Med. 1998;55(1):1–12.
International Agency for Research on Cancer. IARC monographs on the evaluation of carcinogenic risks to humans some aromatic amines, organic dyes, and related exposures, vol. 99. Lyon: International Agency for Research on Cancer; 2010. p. 395.
MacBeth R. Malignant disease of the paranasal sinuses. J Laryngol Otol. 1965;79:592–612.
International Agency for Research on Cancer. IARC monographs on the evaluation of carcinogenic risks to humans. Wood dust and formaldehyde, vol. 62. Lyon: International Agency for Research on Cancer; 1995.
International Agency for Research on Cancer. IARC monographs on the evaluation of carcinogenic risks to humans, a review of human carcinogens: arsenic, metals, fibres, and dusts, vol. 100C. Lyon: International Agency for Research on Cancer; 2012.
Lilienfeld DE. The silence: the asbestos industry and early occupational cancer research – a case study. Am J Public Health. 1991;81(6):791–800.
Doll R. Mortality from lung cancer in asbestos workers. Br J Ind Med. 1955;12(2):81–6.
Collegium Ramazzini. Asbestos is still with us: repeat call for a universal ban. J Occup Environ Med. 2010;52(5):469–72.
International Agency for Research on Cancer. IARC monographs on the evaluation of carcinogenic risks to humans. Asbestos, vol. 14. Lyon: International Agency for Research on Cancer; 1977.
Wagner JC, Sleggs CA, Marchand P. Diffuse pleural mesothelioma and asbestos exposure in the North Western Cape Province. Br J Ind Med. 1960;17:260–71.
Hagemeyer O, Otten AE, Kraus AT. Asbestos consumption, asbestos exposure and asbestos-related occupational diseases in Germany. Int Arch Occup Environ Health. 2006;79:613–20.
Plato N, Martinsen JI, Sparén P, et al. Occupation and mesothelioma in Sweden: updated incidence in men and women in the 27 years after the asbestos ban. Epidemiol Health. 2016;38:e2016039.
Creech JL Jr, Johnson MN. Angiosarcoma of liver in the manufacture of polyvinyl chloride. J Occup Med. 1974;16(3):150–1.
Maltoni C, Lefemine G. Carcinogenicity bioassays of vinyl chloride: current results. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1975;246:195–218.
Verma DK, Purdham JT, Roels HA. Translating evidence about occupational conditions into strategies for prevention. Occup Environ Med. 2002;59(3):205–13.
International Agency for Research on Cancer. IARC monographs on the evaluation of carcinogenic risks to humans, 1,3-butadiene, ethylene oxide and vinyl halides (vinyl fluoride, vinyl chloride and vinyl bromide), vol. 97. Lyon: International Agency for Research on Cancer; 2008.
International Agency for Research on Cancer. IARC monographs on the evaluation of carcinogenic risks to humans, some anti-thyroid and related substances, nitrofurans and industrial chemicals, vol. 7. Lyon: International Agency for Research on Cancer; 1974.
Nicholson WJ, Landrigan PJ. Quantitative assessment of lives lost due to delay in the regulation of occupational exposure to benzene. Environ Health Perspect. 1989;82:185–8.
Henry NL, Hayes DF. Cancer biomarkers. Mol Oncol. 2012;6:140–6.
da Silva J. DNA damage induced by occupational and environmental exposure to miscellaneous chemicals. Mutat Res. 2016;770:170–82.
Pearce N, Blair A, Vineis P, et al. IARC monographs: 40 years of evaluating carcinogenic hazards to humans. Environ Health Perspect. 2015;123(6):507–14.
Birnbaum LS, Thayer KA, Bucher JR, et al. Implementing systematic review at the National Toxicology Program: status and next steps (Editorial). Environ Health Perspect. 2013;121(4):A108.
Morgan RL, Thayer KA, Bero L, et al. GRADE: assessing the quality of evidence in environmental and occupational health. Environ Int. 2016;92–93:611–6.
Rudén C, Hansson SO. Registration, Evaluation, and Authorization of Chemicals (REACH) is but the first step-how far will it take us? Six further steps to improve the European chemicals legislation. Environ Health Perspect. 2010;118(1):6–10.
Kauppinen T, Toikkanen J, Pedersen D, et al. Occupational exposure to carcinogens in the European Union. Occup Environ Med. 2000;57(1):10–8.
Kauppinen T, Toikkanen J, Pukkala E. From cross-tabulations to multipurpose exposure information systems: a new job-exposure matrix. Am J Ind Med. 1998;33(4):409–17.
Kauppinen T, Heikkilä P, Plato N, et al. Construction of job-exposure matrices for the Nordic Occupational Cancer Study (NOCCA). Acta Oncol. 2009;48(5):791–800.
International Agency for Research on Cancer. IARC monographs on the evaluation of carcinogenic risks to humans, a review of human carcinogens: chemical agents and related occupations, vol. 100F. Lyon: International Agency for Research on Cancer; 2012.
Doll R, Peto J. Asbestos. In: Effects on health of exposure to asbestos. Health and Safety Commission. London: Her Majesty’s Stationery Office; 1985.
Olsson AC, Vermeulen R, Brüning T, et al. Exposure response analyses of asbestos and lung cancer pathologies in a pooled analysis of case-control studies in Europe and Canada. Epidemiology. 2017;28(2):288–99.
Meek ME, Boobis AR, Crofton KM, et al. Risk assessment of combined exposure to multiple chemicals: a WHO/IPCS framework. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol. 2011 Apr 2 [Epub ahead of print].
Symanski E, Kupper LL, Hertz-Picciotto I, et al. Comprehensive evaluation of long-term trends in occupational exposure: Part 2. Predictive models for declining exposures. Occup Environ Med. 1998;55(5):310–6.
Symanski E, Kupper LL, Rappaport SM. Comprehensive evaluation of long-term trends in occupational exposure: Part 1. Description of the database. Occup Environ Med. 1998;55(5):300–9.
Hansson SO. Setting the limit. Occupational health standards and the limits of science. New York: Oxford University Press; 1998.
Rappaport SM, Kupper LL. Quantitative exposure assessment. El Cerrito: Rappaport; 2008.
Vermeulen R, Silverman DT, Garshick E, et al. Exposure-response estimates for diesel engine exhaust and lung cancer mortality based on data from three occupational cohorts. Environ Health Perspect. 2014;122(2):172–7.
Vehmas T, Sauni R, Miller AB, et al. Screening for asbestos-related lung cancer. In: Asbestos, asbestosis, and cancer. Helsinki criteria for diagnosis and attribution. Helsinki, Finland: Finnish Institute of Occupational Health; 2014. p. 11–32.
Cherrie JW, Van Tongeren M, Semple S. Exposure to occupational carcinogens in Great Britain. Ann Occup Hyg. 2007;51(8):653–64.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Gustavsson, P. (2020). Strategies for Primary Prevention of Occupational Cancer. In: Anttila, S., Boffetta, P. (eds) Occupational Cancers. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-30766-0_34
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-30766-0_34
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-30765-3
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-30766-0
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)