Methodologic concerns in cancer control in occupational settings.

Interest in cancer control in occupational settings has heightened in recent years due to several factors, including: the dramatic increase in chemicals in use in industry, public anxiety about carcinogenic risks associated with industrial waste, the ongoing discovery of occupational cancers, and chemically-induced cancers in laboratory animals. This paper discusses methodologic concerns in assessing the need to undertake primary and secondary prevention activities and short-term test procedures, such as cytogenetic analysis for cancer control in occupational settings. Some of the guidelines and considerations used in such assessments by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and by the International Agency for Research on Cancer are also discussed. The need for multidisciplinary efforts to assess the evidence regarding occupational cancer risks and available preventive measures to determine appropriate cancer control activities is also presented.