Medical surveillance and biomonitoring for occupational cancer endpoints.

Medical surveillance for carcinogens refers to the use of medical history, physical examinations, and laboratory examinations to detect medical effects of exposure to cancer-causing agents. Biomonitoring for carcinogens, in contrast, involves testing for changes in DNA or chromosomes, presence of mutagens in body fluids, or presence of markers of exposure in cells. This article evaluates the current medical surveillance and biomonitoring techniques to assess their utility as measures of potential exposure to and effects of carcinogens in the workplace.