RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Early detection of prostate cancer in firefighters: a register-based study of prognostic factors and survival
JF Occupational and Environmental Medicine
JO Occup Environ Med
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd
SP 200
OP 206
DO 10.1136/oemed-2021-107622
VO 79
IS 3
A1 Jarle Jakobsen
A1 Marit B Veierød
A1 Tom K Grimsrud
A1 Sophie Dorothea Fosså
A1 Bato Hammarström
A1 Kristina Kjærheim
YR 2022
UL http://oem.bmj.com/content/79/3/200.abstract
AB Objectives To examine age at diagnosis, prognostic factors and survival of prostate cancer (PCa) in Norwegian firefighters and three other occupations undergoing occupational health check-ups, and comparing with PCa cases in the general population.Methods All PCa cases diagnosed in 1960–2017 were extracted from the Cancer Registry of Norway. Firefighters, military employees, pilots and police officers were identified through occupational data from Statistics Norway. Age at diagnosis, clinical stage, prostate-specific antigen (PSA), Gleason score, performance status and overall survival and PCa-specific survival in cases in these occupations were compared with cases in the general population.Results Firefighters were significantly younger at PCa diagnosis than cases in the general population in 1960–1993 (mean difference: 2.1 years) and 2007–2017 (mean difference: 4.3 years). At diagnosis, firefighters had significantly lower PSA values, Gleason scores and performance status scores than the general population. Firefighters diagnosed in 2007–2017 had lower risk of all-cause death than the general population (crude HR 0.71 (0.53–0.95)). No difference remained after adjusting for age at diagnosis (HR 1.03 (0.77–1.37)). Firefighters were older at diagnosis in 1994–2006 (mean difference: 3.0 years), but showed no other significant differences in age at diagnosis, PSA values, Gleason scores or performance status compared with military employees, pilots and police officers.Conclusions Younger age and better prognostic factors at PCa diagnosis among firefighters and other occupations with requirements for health check-ups than cases in the general population may indicate an increased diagnostic intensity, likely contributing to elevated PCa incidence in such occupations.Data may be obtained from a third party and are not publicly available.