Capocaccia Riccardo, Biselli Roberto, Ruggeri Raffaella, Tesei Cristiano, Grande Enrico, Martina Lucia, Rocchetti Anna, Salmaso Stefania, Caldora Massimiliano, Francisci Silvia
1 Cancer Epidemiology Unit, National Center of Epidemiology, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
2 Italian Defence General Staff, General Inspectorate of the Military Health Service, Rome, Italy.
Eur J Public Health. 2016 Aug;26(4):712-7. doi: 10.1093/eurpub/ckv217. Epub 2015 Dec 3.
The possible increase of cancer risk in military personnel deployed in Balkans during and after the 1992-1999 wars, mainly related to the depleted uranium, was addressed by several studies on European veterans of those war theatres. This article reports on the results of the mortality study on the Italian cohort of Bosnia and Kosovo veterans (Balkan cohort).
Mortality rates for the Balkan cohort (71 144 persons) were compared with those of the Italian general population as well as to those of a comparable and unselected control cohort of not deployed military personnel (114 269 persons). Ascertainment of vital status during the period 1995-2008 of all the persons in the two cohorts has been carried out through deterministic record linkage with the national death records database, from information provided by the respective Armed Force General Staff, and through the civil registry offices of the veterans' residence or birth municipalities.
The Balkan cohort experienced a mortality rates lower than both the general population (SMR = 0.56; 95% CI 0.51-0.62) and the control group (SMR = 0.88; 95% CI 0.79-0.97). Cancer mortality in the deployed cohort group was half of that from the general population mortality rates (SMR = 0.50; 95% CI 0.40-0.62) and slightly lower if compared with the control group cancer mortality rates (SMR = 0.95; 95% CI 0.77-1.18).
Balkan veteran cohort did not show any increase in general mortality or in cancer mortality.
1992 - 1999年战争期间及战后部署在巴尔干地区的军事人员患癌风险可能增加，主要与贫铀有关，针对这些战区的欧洲退伍军人进行了多项研究。本文报告了对意大利波斯尼亚和科索沃退伍军人队列（巴尔干队列）的死亡率研究结果。
将巴尔干队列（71144人）的死亡率与意大利普通人群以及未部署军事人员的可比且未经过挑选的对照队列（114269人）的死亡率进行比较。通过与国家死亡记录数据库进行确定性记录链接，利用各武装部队总参谋部提供的信息，并通过退伍军人居住或出生城市的民事登记办公室，确定了两个队列中所有人在1995 - 2008年期间的生命状态。
巴尔干队列的死亡率低于普通人群（标准化死亡比SMR = 0.56；95%置信区间0.51 - 0.62）和对照组（SMR = 0.88；95%置信区间0.79 - 0.97）。部署队列组的癌症死亡率是普通人群死亡率的一半（SMR = 0.50；95%置信区间0.40 - 0.62），与对照组癌症死亡率相比略低（SMR = 0.95；95%置信区间0.77 - 1.18）。
巴尔干退伍军人队列在总体死亡率或癌症死亡率方面未显示出任何增加。
