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Cadmium exposure and risk of lung cancer: a meta-analysis of cohort and case–control studies among general and occupational populations

Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology volume 26, pages 437–444 (2016)Cite this article

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Abstract

The association between cadmium exposure and risk of lung cancer is still unclear. We quantitatively reviewed the observational studies that investigated the association between cadmium exposure and lung cancer risk in both general and occupational populations published through April 2015. The final data set is comprised of three cohort studies in the general population totaling 22,551 participants (354 events) with a mean follow-up of 15 years, five occupational cohort studies including 4205 individuals (180 events) with an average follow-up of 31 years, and three occupational case–control studies including 4740 cases and 6268 controls. Comparing the highest to the lowest category of cadmium exposure, the weighted relative risk and 95% confidence interval of lung cancer in the general population was 1.42 (95% CI (0.91, 2.23)); the weighted risk estimates (95% CIs) of lung cancer in three occupational cohort studies and three case–control studies were 0.68 (95% CI (0.33, 1.41)) and 1.61 (95% CI (0.94, 2.75)), respectively. No linear association was found. When comparing participants exposed to cadmium with non-exposed based on available data, the association became statistically significant. According to findings from this meta-analysis, the possibility that cadmium exposure may increase risk of lung cancer cannot be completely ruled out in either general or occupational population.

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Acknowledgements

Source of funding: Drs. Xun and He were partially supported by grants from the NIH (R01HL081572, R01ES021735 and R03CA139261). The funding sources had no involvement in the study design; the collection, analysis and interpretation of data; the writing of the report; and the decision to submit the article for publication.

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  1. Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health — Bloomington, Indiana University, Bloomington, 47405, Indiana, USA

    Cheng Chen, Pengcheng Xun & Ka He

  2. Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Kanazawa Medical University, Ishikawa, 920-0293, Japan

    Muneko Nishijo

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  1. Cheng Chen
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Correspondence to Ka He.

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Chen, C., Xun, P., Nishijo, M. et al. Cadmium exposure and risk of lung cancer: a meta-analysis of cohort and case–control studies among general and occupational populations. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol 26, 437–444 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/jes.2016.6

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