Does asbestos exposure increase the risk of urogenital cancer?

The risk of urogenital cancer to workers exposed to asbestos was evaluated using the results of published studies. The pooled standardized mortality ratios (SMRs), based on the results of cohort studies, were significantly increased (P less than or equal to 0.05) for ovarian and kidney cancer in North American studies but not in other studies. Part of these increases probably is due to the use of inappropriate comparison populations and the failure to take into account risk factors associated with urogenital cancer. Other types of studies generally did not indicate that exposure to asbestos increases the risk of urogenital cancer. Generally, there is insufficient information to show that urogenital cancers are caused by occupational exposure to asbestos.