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Cancer risks among female farmers in Sweden

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Abstract

There are few studies on cancer risks among female farmers, particularly on breast cancer and cancer in female genital organs. We have conducted a cohort study of cancer risk among 50,682 women with occupations in agriculture according to the Swedish 1970 census. The cohort was followed up in the nationwide, populationbased, Cancer-Environment Register from 1 January 1971 until death or until 31 December 1987. Expected number of cases was based on annual cancer incidence in five-year age groups. The standardized incidence ratio (SIR) was computed as the ratio between observed and expected number of cases. A total of 4,474 cases of cancer were observed in the cohort from 1971 until 1987cf 5,273 expected, resulting in a significantly decreased SIR of 0.85 (95 percent confidence interval [CI]=0.82−0.87). SIR for breast cancer was significantly decreased (0.83, CI=0.78−0.88), as was the SIR for cervix uteri (0.40, CI=0.31−0.50). For the other female genital organs, SIR was close to one. Other cancer sites with significantly decreased SIRs were: colon (0.90, CI=0.81−1.00); rectum (0.86, CI=0.74−1.00); lung (0.46, CI=0.37−0.57); kidney (0.81, CI=0.68−0.97); urinary organs (0.57, CI=0.45−0.72); connective tissue and muscle (0.62, CI=0.39−0.95); and non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (0.78, CI=0.63−0.96).

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This study was supported by grant from Kungliga Skogs-och Lanthruksakademien.

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Wiklund, K., Dich, J. Cancer risks among female farmers in Sweden. Cancer Causes Control 5, 449–457 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01694759

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