Outdoor air pollution and cancer: An overview of the current evidence and public health recommendations.

Outdoor air pollution is a major contributor to the burden of disease worldwide. Most of the global population resides in places where air pollution levels, because of emissions from industry, power generation, transportation, and domestic burning, considerably exceed the World Health Organization's health-based air-quality guidelines. Outdoor air pollution poses an urgent worldwide public health challenge because it is ubiquitous and has numerous serious adverse human health effects, including cancer. Currently, there is substantial evidence from studies of humans and experimental animals as well as mechanistic evidence to support a causal link between outdoor (ambient) air pollution, and especially particulate matter (PM) in outdoor air, with lung cancer incidence and mortality. It is estimated that hundreds of thousands of lung cancer deaths annually worldwide are attributable to PM air pollution. Epidemiological evidence on outdoor air pollution and the risk of other types of cancer, such as bladder cancer or breast cancer, is more limited. Outdoor air pollution may also be associated with poorer cancer survival, although further research is needed. This report presents an overview of outdoor air pollutants, sources, and global levels, as well as a description of epidemiological evidence linking outdoor air pollution with cancer incidence and mortality. Biological mechanisms of air pollution-derived carcinogenesis are also described. This report concludes by summarizing public health/policy recommendations, including multilevel interventions aimed at individual, community, and regional scales. Specific roles for medical and health care communities with regard to prevention and advocacy and recommendations for further research are also described.

Outdoor air pollution and risk of incident adult haematologic cancer subtypes in a large US prospective cohort.

BACKGROUND: Outdoor air pollution and particulate matter (PM) are classified as Group 1 human carcinogens for lung cancer. Pollutant associations with haematologic cancers are suggestive, but these cancers are aetiologically heterogeneous and sub-type examinations are lacking. METHODS: The American Cancer Society Cancer Prevention Study-II Nutrition Cohort was used to examine associations of outdoor air pollutants with adult haematologic cancers. Census block group level annual predictions of particulate matter (PM2.5, PM10, PM10-2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ozone (O3), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and carbon monoxide (CO) were assigned with residential addresses. Hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) between time-varying pollutants and haematologic subtypes were estimated. RESULTS: Among 108,002 participants, 2659 incident haematologic cancers were identified from 1992-2017. Higher PM10-2.5 concentrations were associated with mantle cell lymphoma (HR per 4.1 µg/m3 = 1.43, 95% CI 1.08-1.90). NO2 was associated with Hodgkin lymphoma (HR per 7.2 ppb = 1.39; 95% CI 1.01-1.92) and marginal zone lymphoma (HR per 7.2 ppb = 1.30; 95% CI 1.01-1.67). CO was associated with marginal zone (HR per 0.21 ppm = 1.30; 95% CI 1.04-1.62) and T-cell (HR per 0.21 ppm = 1.27; 95% CI 1.00-1.61) lymphomas. CONCLUSIONS: The role of air pollutants on haematologic cancers may have been underestimated previously because of sub-type heterogeneity.

AllergoOncology: Biomarkers and refined classification for research in the allergy and glioma nexus-A joint EAACI-EANO position paper.

Epidemiological studies have explored the relationship between allergic diseases and cancer risk or prognosis in AllergoOncology. Some studies suggest an inverse association, but uncertainties remain, including in IgE-mediated diseases and glioma. Allergic disease stems from a Th2-biased immune response to allergens in predisposed atopic individuals. Allergic disorders vary in phenotype, genotype and endotype, affecting their pathophysiology. Beyond clinical manifestation and commonly used clinical markers, there is ongoing research to identify novel biomarkers for allergy diagnosis, monitoring, severity assessment and treatment. Gliomas, the most common and diverse brain tumours, have in parallel undergone changes in classification over time, with specific molecular biomarkers defining glioma subtypes. Gliomas exhibit a complex tumour-immune interphase and distinct immune microenvironment features. Immunotherapy and targeted therapy hold promise for primary brain tumour treatment, but require more specific and effective approaches. Animal studies indicate allergic airway inflammation may delay glioma progression. This collaborative European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) and European Association of Neuro-Oncology (EANO) Position Paper summarizes recent advances and emerging biomarkers for refined allergy and adult-type diffuse glioma classification to inform future epidemiological and clinical studies. Future research is needed to enhance our understanding of immune-glioma interactions to ultimately improve patient prognosis and survival.

Lung Cancer Survivorship: Physical, Social, Emotional, and Medical Needs of NSCLC Survivors.

BACKGROUND: Newer therapies prolong survival for patients with lung cancer. Beyond extending survival, the needs of lung cancer (LC) survivors are poorly described. METHODS: We conducted a single-institution needs assessment survey of LC survivors alive ≥1 year from diagnosis. Needs were rated on a 5-point Likert scale for 4 domains (physical, social, emotional, and medical). Multiple regression models identified demographic or treatment characteristics associated with more needs in each category. A subset analysis of survivors with metastatic LC was performed. RESULTS: Of 360 patients approached, 235 surveys were completed. Among completed survey respondents, the median age was 69 years; most were female (62%), married (71%), and White (74%); and 41% had stage IV cancer. Finding support resources (34%) was the most common medical need. Fatigue (70%), sleep disturbance (60%), memory and concentration (57.5%), weakness (54%), and trouble breathing (51%) were physical needs affecting more than half of respondents. The most common social need was managing daily activities (42%). Emotional needs were highly prevalent, with 79% of respondents reporting a fear of recurrence and 74.5% reporting living with uncertainty. Multiple regression analysis identified that receipt of multiple lines of systemic therapy and lower household income were associated with higher physical and social needs. Younger age was associated with having a greater number of social and emotional needs. Similar results were found in the subset of survivors with metastatic disease at diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: The needs of LC survivors are diverse across multiple domains. Several clinical and demographic factors are independently associated with higher numbers of patient-reported needs. Our study identifies critical gaps in survivorship care for LC survivors with all stages of disease and highlights areas of future intervention.

Supporting a mentally healthy place of study: Examining the relationship between mental well-being, stress, and protective factors among university students.

INTRODUCTION: Students can expect to experience stressors associated with their studies that can have detrimental effects on their mental well-being if not properly managed. Drawing on a positive psychology paradigm, protective factors can help students to counter study-related stressors and contribute to their mental well-being and academic success. The relationship between protective factors, such as maintaining perspective and building networks, with stress severity and positive mental well-being was examined in a sample of Australian university students undertaking postgraduate coursework. METHODS: Students completed a survey measuring stress from the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS), positive mental well-being from the Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (SWEMWBS), and seven protective factors from the Resilience at University (RAU) scale. Bivariate correlations were calculated for the RAU protective factors with stress and mental well-being. ANOVA examined the RAU protective factors in relation to mental well-being and stress severity groupings. RESULTS: All seven protective factors had a positive and significant relationship with positive mental well-being, and six of the seven protective factors had a negative and significant relationship with stress. A statistically significant difference was found for six of the seven RAU protective factors according to mental well-being group, and three of the seven RAU protective factors group according to stress severity group. A linear effect emerged between level of protective factor and mental well-being group, with participants in the high well-being group having the highest level of protective factors. CONCLUSION: Universities should focus on the development of protective factors to support students' well-being and help them to flourish in their studies.

Perinatal outcomes of midwife-led care, stratified by medical risk: a retrospective cohort study from British Columbia (2008-2018).

BACKGROUND: Anecdotal evidence suggests that the profile of midwifery clients in British Columbia has changed over the past 20 years and that midwives are increasingly caring for clients with moderate to high medical risk. We sought to compare perinatal outcomes with a registered midwife as the most responsible provider (MRP) versus outcomes among clients with physicians as their MRP across medical risk strata. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study (2008-2018) used data from the BC Perinatal Data Registry. We included all births that had a family physician, obstetrician or midwife listed as the MRP (n = 425 056) and stratified the analysis by pregnancy risk status (low, moderate or high) according to an adapted perinatal risk scoring system. We estimated differences in outcomes between MRP groups by calculating adjusted absolute and relative risks. RESULTS: The adjusted absolute and relative risks of adverse neonatal outcomes were consistently lower among those who chose midwifery care across medical risk strata, compared with clients who had a physician as MRP. Midwifery clients experienced higher rates of spontaneous vaginal births, vaginal births after cesarean delivery and breastfeeding initiation, and lower rates of cesarean deliveries and instrumental births, with no increase in adverse neonatal outcomes. We observed an increased risk of oxytocin induction among high-risk birthers with a midwife versus an obstetrician as MRP. INTERPRETATION: Our findings suggest that compared with other providers in BC, midwives provide safe primary care for clients with varied levels of medical risk. Future research might examine how different practice and remuneration models affect clinical outcomes, client and provider experiences, and costs to the health care system.

The carcinogenicity of opium consumption: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

The carcinogenicity of opium consumption was recently evaluated by a Working Group convened by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). We supplement the recent IARC evaluation by conducting an extended systematic review as well as a quantitative meta-analytic assessment of the role of opium consumption and risk for selected cancers, evaluating in detail various aspects of study quality on meta-analytic findings. We searched the published literature to identify all relevant studies on opium consumption and risk of selected cancers in humans through 31 October, 2022. Meta-relative risks (mRRs) and associated 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using random-effects models for studies of cancer of the urinary bladder, larynx, lung, oesophagus, pancreas, and stomach. Heterogeneity among studies was assessed using the I2 statistic. We assessed study quality and conducted sensitivity analyses to evaluate the impact of potential reverse causation, protopathic bias, selection bias, information bias, and confounding. In total, 2 prospective cohort studies and 33 case-control studies were included. The overall pooled mRR estimated for 'ever or regular' versus 'never' use of opium ranged from 1.50 (95% CI 1.13-1.99, I2 = 0%, 6 studies) for oesophageal cancer to 7.97 (95% CI 4.79-13.3, I2 = 62%, 7 studies) for laryngeal cancer. Analyses of cumulative opium exposure suggested greater risk of cancer associated with higher opium consumption. Findings were robust in sensitivity analyses excluding studies prone to potential methodological sources of biases and confounding. Findings support an adverse association between opium consumption and cancers of the urinary bladder, larynx, lung, oesophagus, pancreas and stomach.

Occupational exposure to extremely low-frequency magnetic fields and follicular lymphoma risk: a family case-control study.

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to examine the relationship between occupational exposure to extremely low-frequency magnetic fields (ELF-MFs) and follicular lymphoma (FL) risk. METHODS: We conducted a family case-control study between 2011 and 2016 in Australia and included 681 cases. Controls were either a family member of cases (related (n=294), unrelated (n=179)) or were unrelated recruited for a similarly designed Australian multiple myeloma study (n=711). We obtained detailed job histories using lifetime work calendars. We assigned exposure to ELF-MFs using an enhanced job exposure matrix, with a lag period of 10 years. We examined associations with FL risk using logistic regression accounting for relatedness between cases and controls. We performed sensitivity analyses including by control type, by sex, complete case analyses, ELF-MF exposure percentiles in addition to quartiles, ELF-MF exposure in the maximum exposed job, a shorter lag period (1 year) and the cumulative exposure in the most recent time period (1-9 years). RESULTS: We observed no association with the average intensity, duration or lifetime cumulative exposure to occupational ELF-MF exposure in the primary or sensitivity analyses. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings do not support an association between occupational ELF-MF exposure and FL risk. Although the inclusion of family members as part of the larger control group may have biased our risk estimates towards the null, findings were similar in sensitivity analyses restricted to cases and unrelated controls. Further research incorporating enhanced exposure assessment to ELF-MF is warranted to inform occupational safety regulations and any potential role in lymphomagenesis.

Recognition of COVID-19 with occupational origin: a comparison between European countries.

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to present an overview of the formal recognition of COVID-19 as occupational disease (OD) or injury (OI) across Europe. METHODS: A COVID-19 questionnaire was designed by a task group within COST-funded OMEGA-NET and sent to occupational health experts of 37 countries in WHO European region, with a last update in April 2022. RESULTS: The questionnaire was filled out by experts from 35 countries. There are large differences between national systems regarding the recognition of OD and OI: 40% of countries have a list system, 57% a mixed system and one country an open system. In most countries, COVID-19 can be recognised as an OD (57%). In four countries, COVID-19 can be recognised as OI (11%) and in seven countries as either OD or OI (20%). In two countries, there is no recognition possible to date. Thirty-two countries (91%) recognise COVID-19 as OD/OI among healthcare workers. Working in certain jobs is considered proof of occupational exposure in 25 countries, contact with a colleague with confirmed infection in 19 countries, and contact with clients with confirmed infection in 21 countries. In most countries (57%), a positive PCR test is considered proof of disease. The three most common compensation benefits for COVID-19 as OI/OD are disability pension, treatment and rehabilitation. Long COVID is included in 26 countries. CONCLUSIONS: COVID-19 can be recognised as OD or OI in 94% of the European countries completing this survey, across different social security and embedded occupational health systems.

Occupational heat exposure and prostate cancer risk: A pooled analysis of case-control studies.

BACKGROUND: Heat exposures occur in many occupations. Heat has been linked to key carcinogenic processes, however, evidence for associations with cancer risk is sparse. We examined potential associations between occupational heat exposure and prostate cancer risk in a multi-country study. METHODS: We analysed a large, pooled dataset of 3142 histologically confirmed prostate cancer cases and 3512 frequency-matched controls from three countries: Canada, France, and Spain. Three exposure indices: ever exposure, lifetime cumulative exposure and duration of exposure, were developed using the Finnish Job-Exposure Matrix, FINJEM, applied to the lifetime occupational history of participants. We estimated odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs), using conditional logistic regression models stratified by 5-year age groups and study, adjusting for potential confounders. Potential interactions with exposure to other occupational agents were also explored. RESULTS: Overall, we found no association for ever occupational heat exposure (OR 0.97; 95% CI 0.87, 1.09), nor in the highest categories of lifetime cumulative exposure (OR 1.04; 95% CI 0.89, 1.23) or duration (OR 1.03; 95% CI 0.88, 1.22). When using only the Spanish case-control study and a Spanish Job Exposure Matrix (JEM), some weakly elevated ORs were observed. CONCLUSIONS: Findings from this study provide no clear evidence for an association between occupational heat exposure and prostate cancer risk.

Clinical Features, Survival, and Burden of Toxicities in Survivors More Than One Year After Lung Cancer Immunotherapy.

INTRODUCTION: Anti-PD-(L)1 immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) improve survival in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (aNSCLC). The clinical features, survival, and burden of toxicities of patients with aNSCLC alive >1 year from ICI initiation are poorly understood. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We defined ICI survivors as patients alive >1 year after ICI start and retrospectively reviewed demographics, treatment, and immune-related adverse events (irAEs). Long-term irAEs were defined as ongoing irAEs lasting >1 year; burden of toxicity measures were based on percentage of days a patient experienced toxicity. Using linear and logistic regression, we evaluated association between demographics and disease characteristics with burden of toxicity. RESULTS: We identified 114 ICI survivors from 317 patients with aNSCLC. Half (52%) experienced an irAE of any grade, and 23.7% developed long-term irAEs. More ICI survivors with irAES in the first year had never smoked (P = .018) or received ICIs as frontline therapy (P = .015). The burden of toxicity in the first year significantly correlated with the burden of toxicity afterward (ρ = 0.72; P < .001). No patients with progressive disease had a high burden of toxicity, and they experienced 30.6% fewer days with toxicity than those with stable disease. Increased duration of therapy was associated with higher odds of experiencing toxicity. Half of ICI survivors with irAEs were still receiving treatment for unresolved irAEs at time of death or last follow-up. CONCLUSION: Significant proportions of ICI survivors have unresolved long-term toxicities. These data support a growing need to understand long-term toxicity to optimize management of those treated with ICIs.

AllergoOncology: Danger signals in allergology and oncology: A European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) Position Paper.

The immune system interacts with many nominal 'danger' signals, endogenous danger-associated (DAMP), exogenous pathogen (PAMP) and allergen (AAMP)-associated molecular patterns. The immune context under which these are received can promote or prevent immune activating or inflammatory mechanisms and may orchestrate diverse immune responses in allergy and cancer. Each can act either by favouring a respective pathology or by supporting the immune response to confer protective effects, depending on acuity or chronicity. In this Position Paper under the collective term danger signals or DAMPs, PAMPs and AAMPs, we consider their diverse roles in allergy and cancer and the connection between these in AllergoOncology. We focus on their interactions with different immune cells of the innate and adaptive immune system and how these promote immune responses with juxtaposing clinical outcomes in allergy and cancer. While danger signals present potential targets to overcome inflammatory responses in allergy, these may be reconsidered in relation to a history of allergy, chronic inflammation and autoimmunity linked to the risk of developing cancer, and with regard to clinical responses to anti-cancer immune and targeted therapies. Cross-disciplinary insights in AllergoOncology derived from dissecting clinical phenotypes of common danger signal pathways may improve allergy and cancer clinical outcomes.

Audiologists' perspectives on management of mild bilateral hearing loss in infants and young children.

OBJECTIVE: Universal newborn hearing screening programs have led to early identification of infants with congenital mild bilateral hearing loss (MBHL). The current lack of evidence-based protocols to guide audiological management of infants with MBHL has led to clinical equipoise about fitting of hearing aids. The purpose of this study was to increase understanding about the perspectives of paediatric audiologists on factors influencing their management of MBHLin infants and young children. DESIGN: A qualitative descriptive research methodology involving semi-structured interviews with audiologists. STUDY SAMPLE: Twenty-three paediatric audiologists in diagnostic and rehabilitation settings in Victoria, Australia. RESULTS: Three main themes that influenced management were identified. These include: (1) evidence, or the lack of it, influences audiologists' practice; (2) audiologists recognise the need to be fluid; and (3) family characteristics and parents' perspectives. "Audiologists delivering family-centred practice" was identified as an overarching theme across these factors. CONCLUSIONS: Audiologists recognised the importance of adopting a family-centred approach in their management of MBHL in infants and young children. Embodied in their practice was the acknowledgement of limited evidence, the consideration of multiple child and family factors, and the incorporation of perspectives of parents and families in adopting a fluid approach to provide individualised services.

Rethinking residency recruitment, application, and interview processes to benefit applicants and programs long-term.

Pharmacy residency recruitment and interviews have been significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Many traditional recruitment events and interviews were transitioned from in-person to virtual, and new approaches to recruitment, such as virtual open houses, were developed. There are limited data on how these changes impacted pharmacy residency applicants and programs, and the future of virtual events is currently unknown. We highlight recommendations for virtual recruitment and interviews and provide suggestions for residency programs and national organizations to improve virtual processes in the future.

Identifying trends over time in food affordability: The Illawarra Healthy Food Basket survey, 2011-2019.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the affordability of a healthy food basket (HFB) for welfare recipients and average income earners in 2019 and to compare trends from 2011. METHODS: Fifty-seven food items' prices were collected from fifteen stores across five suburbs representing low, medium and high socio-economic status. Costs were compared with average weekly income and welfare payments to assess the baskets' affordability for a family of four and five. RESULTS: In 2019, a HFB was affordable (below 30% of household income) for a five-person reference family with a pensioner, representing 24.8% of weekly welfare payments, but not for a four-person reference family (33.0%). The cost of the HFB increased slightly over time from AU$288.91 in 2011 to AU$291.79 in 2019. The food affordability improved for a family of five including a pensioner over this period due to an increase of average weekly earnings and welfare payments. CONCLUSION: In 2019, the HFB was affordable for a five-person family; however, a four-person family receiving welfare benefits would have experienced significant "food stress," with the food basket costing above 30% of household income. IMPLICATIONS FOR HEALTH PROMOTION: Inequity in the affordability of healthy food is a major public health concern and one that demands recognition and national action. The impact of policies affecting welfare support and wages needs to be considered, as well as food pricing strategies and possible food subsidies for those at greatest risk of food insecurity.

Cell phone use and the risk of glioma: are case-control study findings consistent with Canadian time trends in cancer incidence?

BACKGROUND: There remains controversy as to whether cell phones cause cancer. We evaluated whether temporal changes in cell phone use and the incidence of glioma in Canada were consistent with the hypothesis of an increased risk. DESIGN: We used data from the Canadian Cancer Registry to calculate annual incidence rates for glioma between 1992 and 2015. The annual number of new cell phone subscribers was determined using national industry statistics. The number of newly diagnosed gliomas was compared to the predicted number by applying risks from epidemiological studies to age-specific population estimates. Specifically, we calculated the "predicted" number of incident gliomas by determining the annual prevalence of cell phone users and years of use. These estimates were multiplied by the corresponding risk estimates to determine the predicted number of gliomas. RESULTS: The number of cellular subscriptions in Canada increased from nil in the early-1980s to approximately 29.5 million in 2015. In contrast, age-standardized glioma incidence rates remained stable between 1992 and 2015. When applying risk estimates from i) a recent pooled analysis of Swedish case-control studies, ii) the 13 country INTERPHONE study, and iii) more recent results from data collected from the Canadian component of the INTERPHONE these risks overestimated the observed number of glioma cases diagnosed in Canada in 2015 by 50%, 86%, and 63%, respectively. INTERPRETATION: Predictions of glioma incidence counts using estimates of the relative risk of glioma due to cell phone use from case-control studies over-estimated the incidence rates of glioma in Canada. The absence of an elevation in incidence rates of glioma in conjunction with marked increases in cell phone use suggests that there may not be a causal link between cellphones and glioma.

Global estimates of mortality associated with long-term exposure to outdoor fine particulate matter.

Exposure to ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is a major global health concern. Quantitative estimates of attributable mortality are based on disease-specific hazard ratio models that incorporate risk information from multiple PM2.5 sources (outdoor and indoor air pollution from use of solid fuels and secondhand and active smoking), requiring assumptions about equivalent exposure and toxicity. We relax these contentious assumptions by constructing a PM2.5-mortality hazard ratio function based only on cohort studies of outdoor air pollution that covers the global exposure range. We modeled the shape of the association between PM2.5 and nonaccidental mortality using data from 41 cohorts from 16 countries-the Global Exposure Mortality Model (GEMM). We then constructed GEMMs for five specific causes of death examined by the global burden of disease (GBD). The GEMM predicts 8.9 million [95% confidence interval (CI): 7.5-10.3] deaths in 2015, a figure 30% larger than that predicted by the sum of deaths among the five specific causes (6.9; 95% CI: 4.9-8.5) and 120% larger than the risk function used in the GBD (4.0; 95% CI: 3.3-4.8). Differences between the GEMM and GBD risk functions are larger for a 20% reduction in concentrations, with the GEMM predicting 220% higher excess deaths. These results suggest that PM2.5 exposure may be related to additional causes of death than the five considered by the GBD and that incorporation of risk information from other, nonoutdoor, particle sources leads to underestimation of disease burden, especially at higher concentrations.

Lung cancer and family-centered concerns.

BACKGROUND: Genetic and environmental interactions predispose certain groups to lung cancer, including families. Families or caregiving units experience the disease interdependently. We have previously evaluated the concerns and preferences of patients in addressing the lung cancer experience and cancer risks in their families. This qualitative study evaluates the concerns and preferences of family members and caregivers of patients with lung cancer in the lung cancer experience and familial cancer risks. METHODS: We held focus groups to discuss the format and timing of addressing these preferences and concerns. Qualitative data generated was analyzed using a grounded theory approach. RESULTS: Five focus groups totaling 19 participants were conducted. Seven themes were identified: (1) journey to lung cancer diagnosis has core dimensions for patient and family, (2) importance of communication between patients, families, and providers, (3) challenges for caregivers and family, (4) mixed perceptions of lung cancer causation among relatives, (5) discussion of cancer risk with relatives has complex dynamics, (6) impact of diagnosis on family health behaviors and screening, (7) role of genetic counseling. CONCLUSIONS: Family members of patients with lung cancer are interested in discussing risk factors, prevention, and diagnoses and also would like access to other supportive services do learn about and cope with some of the stresses and barriers they experience in the family lung cancer journey. The diagnosis represents a potential teachable moment with the opportunity to reduce the risk of LC development or improve early detection in LC patient's family members.

Ambient air pollution and incident bladder cancer risk: Updated analysis of the Spanish Bladder Cancer Study.

Although outdoor air pollution and particulate matter in outdoor air have been consistently linked with increased lung cancer risk, the evidence for associations at other cancer sites is limited. Bladder cancer shares several risk factors with lung cancer and some positive associations of ambient air pollution and bladder cancer risk have been observed. This study examined associations of ambient air pollution and bladder cancer risk in the large-scale Spanish Bladder Cancer Study. Estimates of ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5 ) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2 ) concentrations were assigned to the geocoded participant residence of 938 incident bladder cancer cases and 973 hospital controls based on European multicity land-use regression models. Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for associations of ambient air pollution and bladder cancer risk were estimated using unconditional logistic regression models. Overall, there was no clear association between either ambient PM2.5 (OR per 5.9 µg/m3 = 1.06, 95% CI 0.71-1.60) or NO2 (OR per 14.2 µg/m3 = 0.97, 95% CI 0.84-1.13) concentrations and incident bladder cancer risk. There was no clear evidence for effect modification according to age group, sex, region, education, cigarette smoking status, or pack-years. Results were also similar among more residentially stable participants and in two-pollutant models. Overall, there was no clear evidence for associations of ambient PM2.5 and NO2 concentrations and incident bladder cancer risk. Further research in other large-scale population studies is needed with detailed information on measured or modeled estimates of ambient air pollution concentrations and individual level risk factors.

Nonparticipation Selection Bias in the MOBI-Kids Study.

BACKGROUND: MOBI-Kids is a 14-country case-control study designed to investigate the potential effects of electromagnetic field exposure from mobile telecommunications devices on brain tumor risk in children and young adults conducted from 2010 to 2016. This work describes differences in cellular telephone use and personal characteristics among interviewed participants and refusers responding to a brief nonrespondent questionnaire. It also assesses the potential impact of nonparticipation selection bias on study findings. METHODS: We compared nonrespondent questionnaires completed by 77 cases and 498 control refusers with responses from 683 interviewed cases and 1501 controls (suspected appendicitis patients) in six countries (France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan, and Spain). We derived selection bias factors and estimated inverse probability of selection weights for use in analysis of MOBI-Kids data. RESULTS: The prevalence of ever-regular use was somewhat higher among interviewed participants than nonrespondent questionnaire respondents 10-14 years of age (68% vs. 62% controls, 63% vs. 48% cases); in those 20-24 years, the prevalence was ≥97%. Interviewed controls and cases in the 15- to 19- and 20- to 24-year-old age groups were more likely to have a time since start of use of 5+ years. Selection bias factors generally indicated a small underestimation in cellular telephone odds ratios (ORs) ranging from 0.96 to 0.97 for ever-regular use and 0.92 to 0.94 for time since start of use (5+ years), but varied in alternative hypothetical scenarios considered. CONCLUSIONS: Although limited by small numbers of nonrespondent questionnaire respondents, findings generally indicated a small underestimation in cellular telephone ORs due to selective nonparticipation.