Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #119060

Thomas John Bender, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 523 Ryals Building, 1665 University Blvd, Birmingham, AL 35294, (205) 934-1200, ccrimmins@asph.org

PURPOSE: Incidence studies of occupational factors and cancer in the United States are problematic because the use of population-based registries to identify cases requires development of historical data on subjects' residences and often severely restricts the time period of follow-up. This paper describes procedures for addressing these challenges.

METHODS: We used data from studies of cancer incidence and mortality among microelectronics industry employees to assess various methods for developing residential histories and the relative informativeness of the two studies.

RESULTS: We developed residential histories for 98% of 99,229 mortality study subjects. Analyses making alternative assumptions about residential histories yielded standardized incidence ratios varying by at most 6%. Use of postemployment residential histories increased person-years by up to 62% and increased the observed number of cancers by up to 28%. The number of observed cancer cases in the incidence study was 60% higher than the number of observed cancer deaths in the mortality study.

CONCLUSIONS: Assumptions about residential history had little impact on validity. Use of information sources with national coverage to develop residential histories increased the incidence study's precision. Despite geographic and temporal restrictions, incidence studies are more informative than mortality studies for cancers with good survival.

Learning Objectives:

• Participants will learn about the difficulties of using population-based registries to identify cases for follow-up studies of cancer incidence in the United States, become familiar with procedures for developing residential histories, and understand why incidence studies may be more informative than mortality studies for cancers with good survival.

Keywords: Mortality, Cancer

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.