Objective: To evaluate occupational risk factors for renal cell carcinoma.
Subjects and methods: A case control design was employed using data reported to the New Zealand Cancer Registry from 1978 to 1986 inclusive. The occupational risk for renal cell carcinoma was derived by comparison with the occupation of cases of non-urinary tract malignancy reported to the Registry over the same period.
Results: An active occupational code was derived for 86.2% of all cases and 98.9% (710) of male cases. In a series of case-control studies for selected occupational groups, adjusting for patient age and smoking history, a significantly increased relative risk for the development of renal cell carcinoma among firefighters (RR 4.89, 95% CI 2.47-8.93) and painters (RR 1.79, 95% CI 1.31-3.44) was demonstrated.
Conclusion: The data suggest that both firefighters and painters may be at an increased risk of developing renal cell carcinoma, which is likely to be of significance as both occupational groups are frequently exposed to known carcinogens.