About this Research Topic

Background

Several work-related hazards and occupational exposures show positive associations with various types of cancers. For some, the relationship is well-known and based on strong epidemiological data and experimental identification of causative mechanisms—e.g. asbestos exposure and mesothelioma. For other neoplasms, there is an increasing body of literature supporting a positive association—e.g. night shifts and breast cancer. Nevertheless, further research is still needed. A common point on "occupation and cancer" is the under-reporting of occupational cancer cases. Consequently, there is an incomplete awareness of the problem and sometimes an insufficient adoption and implementation of preventive measures, with a few exceptions (e.g. the above-mentioned asbestos exposure and mesothelioma). The reasons for the under-reporting are several, including the probable appearance of the diseases after retirement and considering that work-related neoplasms are not clinically different from the tumours occurring in not-occupationally exposed individuals.

The first goal is to deepen and widen the knowledge on the current evidence of associations between occupational exposures/hazards and specific cancers, providing to the readers new epidemiologic and experimental data from original research as well as from secondary research including narrative reviews, systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Considering cancer types with a sufficient amount of data supporting the association with an occupational hazard, the Research Topic will welcome novel methodologies to estimate exposure and/or new biomarkers related to cancer, with relevant repercussions in terms of prevention. The final goal of the Research Topic is to raise awareness among all interested stakeholders, including workers, OHS professionals and policymakers, on the problem of "occupation and cancer" to achieve better prevention and increased health and well-being of the working population. This objective will be obtained through a discussion of up-to-date preventive strategies to reduce the burden of work-related cancers and the reasons behind the problem of the under-reporting of cancers as occupational diseases.


Considering these goals, this Research Topic aims to collect original and review manuscripts which focus on:

1) Regional, national and multi-national information on the estimates of the disease burden of specific cancer types and carcinogenic occupational exposures, as well as on the number of the cases reported, or expected to be reported, to the compensation authorities and to the workers' health surveillance programs.

2) New epidemiological data on the associations between specific occupational hazards and cancer.

3) New methods to be applied for investigating carcinogenic effects in workers exposed to recognized risk factors, to identify safe exposure levels and improve prevention.

4) Data on occupational exposures and their direct consequences in workers assessed by exposure and effect biomarkers.

5) Data on preventive measures to reduce the burden of cancer associated with specific occupational exposures.

Keywords: Occupational exposure, occupational cancer, cancer epidemiology, workplace carcinogens, cancer prevention, occupational diseases, Occupational Burden of Disease

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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