Parental occupational exposure to benzene and the risk of childhood cancer: A census-based cohort study.

BACKGROUND Previous studies on occupational exposures in parents and cancer risks in their children support a link between solvents and paints with childhood leukaemia. Few studies have focused specifically on benzene. OBJECTIVES To examine whether parental occupational exposure to benzene is associated with an increased cancer risk in a census-based cohort of children. METHODS From a census-based cohort study in Switzerland, we included children aged <16years at national censuses (1990, 2000). We retrieved parental occupations reported at census and assessed exposure to benzene using a job exposure matrix. We identified incident cancer cases through record linkage with the Swiss Childhood Cancer Registry. We fitted Cox proportional-hazards models to assess associations between exposures and the following outcomes: any cancer, leukaemia, acute lymphoid leukaemia (ALL), acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), lymphoma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, central nervous system (CNS) tumours, and glioma. We adjusted models for a range of socio-economic, perinatal and environmental factors. RESULTS Analyses of maternal (paternal) exposure were based on 9.0 (13.2)millionperson years at risk and included 1004 (1520) cases of cancer, of which 285 (438) had leukaemia, 186 (281) lymphoma, 227 (339) a CNS tumour. Maternal exposure was associated with an increased risk of childhood leukaemia (hazard ratio 1.73, 95% CI 1.12-2.67) and ALL (1.88, 1.16-3.04). We found little evidence of an association for other outcomes or for paternal exposure. Adjusting for potential confounders did not materially affect the results. CONCLUSIONS This nationwide cohort study suggests an increased risk of leukaemia among children whose mothers were exposed to benzene at work

Parental occupational exposure to benzene and the risk of childhood cancer : A census-based cohort study

BACKGROUND: Previous studies on occupational exposures in parents and cancer risks in their children support a link between solvents and paints with childhood leukaemia. Few studies have focused specifically on benzene. OBJECTIVES: To examine whether parental occupational exposure to benzene is associated with an increased cancer risk in a census-based cohort of children. METHODS: From a census-based cohort study in Switzerland, we included children aged <16years at national censuses (1990, 2000). We retrieved parental occupations reported at census and assessed exposure to benzene using a job exposure matrix. We identified incident cancer cases through record linkage with the Swiss Childhood Cancer Registry. We fitted Cox proportional-hazards models to assess associations between exposures and the following outcomes: any cancer, leukaemia, acute lymphoid leukaemia (ALL), acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), lymphoma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, central nervous system (CNS) tumours, and glioma. We adjusted models for a range of socio-economic, perinatal and environmental factors. RESULTS: Analyses of maternal (paternal) exposure were based on 9.0 (13.2)millionperson years at risk and included 1004 (1520) cases of cancer, of which 285 (438) had leukaemia, 186 (281) lymphoma, 227 (339) a CNS tumour. Maternal exposure was associated with an increased risk of childhood leukaemia (hazard ratio 1.73, 95% CI 1.12-2.67) and ALL (1.88, 1.16-3.04). We found little evidence of an association for other outcomes or for paternal exposure. Adjusting for potential confounders did not materially affect the results. CONCLUSIONS: This nationwide cohort study suggests an increased risk of leukaemia among children whose mothers were exposed to benzene at work

Impact of a Surgical Sealing Patch on Lymphatic Drainage After Axillary Dissection for Breast Cancer: The SAKK 23/13 Multicenter Randomized Phase III Trial.

Several studies and a meta-analysis showed that fibrin sealant patches reduced lymphatic drainage after various lymphadenectomy procedures. Our goal was to investigate the impact of these patches on drainage after axillary dissection for breast cancer. In a phase III superiority trial, we randomized patients undergoing breast-conserving surgery at 14 Swiss sites to receive versus not receive three large TachoSil &lt;sup&gt;®&lt;/sup&gt; patches in the dissected axilla. Axillary drains were inserted in all patients. Patients and investigators assessing outcomes were blinded to group assignment. The primary endpoint was total volume of drainage. Between March 2015 and December 2016, 142 patients were randomized (72 with TachoSil &lt;sup&gt;®&lt;/sup&gt; and 70 without). Mean total volume of drainage in the control group was 703 ml [95% confidence interval (CI) 512-895 ml]. Application of TachoSil &lt;sup&gt;®&lt;/sup&gt; did not significantly reduce the total volume of axillary drainage [mean difference (MD) -110 ml, 95% CI -316 to 94, p = 0.30]. A total of eight secondary endpoints related to drainage, morbidity, and quality of life were not improved by use of TachoSil &lt;sup&gt;®&lt;/sup&gt; . The mean total cost per patient did not differ significantly between the groups [34,253 Swiss Francs (95% CI 32,625-35,880) with TachoSil &lt;sup&gt;®&lt;/sup&gt; and 33,365 Swiss Francs (95% CI 31,771-34,961) without, p = 0.584]. In the TachoSil &lt;sup&gt;®&lt;/sup&gt; group, length of stay was longer (MD 1 day, 95% CI 0.3-1.7, p = 0.009), and improvement of pain was faster, although the latter difference was not significant [2 days (95% CI 1-4) vs. 5.5 days (95% CI 2-11); p = 0.2]. TachoSil &lt;sup&gt;®&lt;/sup&gt; reduced drainage after axillary dissection for breast cancer neither significantly nor relevantly