Epidemiologic study for the evaluation of the cancerogenic risk associated with pesticides.

A begun started Italian multicentric hospital-based case-control study aimed at detecting carcinogenic risk associated with pesticides exposure is presented. During a 2 year period, incident cases of cancer of various sites in adults of both sexes will be identified in five hospitals used by residents of five Italian rural areas (Asti, Imola, Pescia, Pistoia, Grosseto). Selected sites include the following: lip, oral cavity and oropharynx, oesophagus, stomach, colon-rectum, liver, biliary ducts, pancreas, larynx, lung, soft tissue, skin melanoma, skin other than melanoma, breast, uterus, ovary, prostate, bladder, kidney, thyroid, and lymphoid tissue. Trained personnel will interview patients about their total work experience, with special emphasis on activities in agriculture. Other relevant information to be collected includes pathological anamnesis and smoking habits. A team of coders will analyse the occupational histories using an a priori job-exposures matrix (JEM). The JEM will be specific with respect to type of agricultural production, calendar years, geographic location and pesticides. Each cancer site will be compared with a selected pool of the other sites. This investigation is expected to provide information on a range of associations between cancer of various sites and individual pesticides or mixed exposures. The study can be seen as a pilot study which could be replicated in other areas.