Professional exposure to goats increases the risk of pneumonic-type lung adenocarcinoma: results of the IFCT-0504-Epidemio study

PLoS One. 2012;7(5):e37889. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0037889. Epub 2012 May 24.

Abstract

Pneumonic-type lung adenocarcinoma (P-ADC) represents a distinct subset of lung cancer with specific clinical, radiological, and pathological features. Given the weak association with tobacco-smoking and the striking similarities with jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus (JSRV)-induced ovine pulmonary adenocarcinoma, it has been suggested that a zoonotic viral agent infecting pulmonary cells may predispose to P-ADC in humans. Our objective was to explore whether exposure to domestic small ruminants may represent a risk factor for P-ADC. We performed a multicenter case-control study recruiting patients with P-ADC as cases and patients with non-P-ADC non-small cell lung cancer as controls. A dedicated 356-item questionnaire was built to evaluate exposure to livestock. A total of 44 cases and 132 controls were included. At multivariate analysis, P-ADC was significantly more associated with female gender (Odds-ratio (OR) = 3.23, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.32-7.87, p = 0.010), never-smoker status (OR = 3.57, 95% CI: 1.27-10.00, p = 0.015), personal history of extra-thoracic cancer before P-ADC diagnosis (OR = 3.43, 95% CI: 1.10-10.72, p = 0.034), and professional exposure to goats (OR = 5.09, 95% CI: 1.05-24.69, p = 0.043), as compared to other subtypes of lung cancer. This case-control suggests a link between professional exposure to goats and P-ADC, and prompts for further epidemiological evaluation of potential environmental risk factors for P-ADC.

Publication types

  • Multicenter Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adenocarcinoma / etiology*
  • Adenocarcinoma / pathology
  • Adenocarcinoma of Lung
  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Animals
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Environmental Exposure / adverse effects*
  • Female
  • Goats* / physiology
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Livestock* / physiology
  • Lung / pathology
  • Lung Neoplasms / etiology*
  • Lung Neoplasms / pathology
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Risk Factors
  • Young Adult