Data-driven exploration of occupations and lung cancer risks using regularized regression models
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Occupational epidemiological analyses typically focus on a priori hypotheses relating disease to specific exposures or occupations. We used regularized regression models to agnostically identify occupations associated with lung cancer while accounting for known lung carcinogens. METHODS: We pooled data from 14 European and Canadian lung cancer case-control studies. The main analysis included 13 587 cases and 16 410 controls for men and 3199 cases and 4408 controls for women. Associations between ever-employment in various occupations and lung cancer risks were evaluated using two selection approaches: a least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression and a two-stage Bayesian hierarchical horseshoe model accounting for age, study, smoking, and occupational exposure to known lung carcinogens. Unconditional logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for selected occupations. RESULTS: For men, occupations consistently identified as positively associated with lung cancer included miners (OR = 1.28, 95% CI: 1.06-1.54) and bricklayers (OR = 1.30, 95% CI: 1.12-1.52), while secondary education teachers (OR = 0.37, 95% CI: 0.22-0.60), production managers (OR = 0.66, 95% CI: 0.54-0.81), and government executive officials (OR = 0.72, 95% CI: 0.62-0.83) were negatively associated. For women, secondary language and literature teachers (OR = 0.39, 95% CI: 0.20-0.72) and government executive officials (OR = 0.63, 95% CI: 0.48-0.81) showed negative associations. CONCLUSION: Two agnostic, data-driven models identified several occupations associated with both increased and decreased lung cancer risks. These associations persisted after accounting for known exposures and covariates, highlighting the need to investigate unidentified occupational factors.
DOI: 10.1093/ije/dyag183
Authors: Calvin Ge, Jia Nie, Lützen Portengen, Ann Olsson, Joachim Schüz, Wolfgang Ahrens, Christine Barul, Thomas Behrens, Thomas Brüning, Neil E Caporaso, Dario Consonni, Paul A Demers, Eleonora Fabianova, Guillermo Fernández-Tardón, John K Field, Francesco Forastiere, Lenka Foretova, Per Gustavsson, Vladimir Janout, Karl-Heinz Jöckel, Stefan Karrasch, Benjamin Kendzia, Hans Kromhout, Maria Teresa Landi, Jolanta Lissowska, Dana Mates, John R McLaughlin, Franco Merletti, Enrica Migliore, Tamás Pándics, Loredana Radoi, Lorenzo Richiardi, Miriam Schejbalova, Jack Siemiatycki, Beata Świątkowska, Heinz-Erich Wichmann, David Zaridze, Kurt Straif, Susan Peters, Roel Vermeulen
Institutions: Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research, Utrecht University, Centre international de recherche sur le cancer, University of Bremen, Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology - BIPS, Inserm, École des Hautes Études en Santé Publique, Institut de Recherche en Santé, Environnement et Travail, Université de Rennes, Institute for Prevention and Occupational Medicine, Ruhr University Bochum, National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Occupational Cancer Research Centre, Ontario Health, Public Health Authority of the Slovak Republic, Catholic University in Ruzomberok, Universidad de Oviedo, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Epidemiología y Salud Pública, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias, University of Liverpool, ASL Roma, Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute, Karolinska Institutet, Palacký University Olomouc, Institut für Medizinische Informatik, Biometrie und Epidemiologie, Essen University Hospital, Helmholtz Munich, LMU Klinikum, German Center for Lung Research, Institut und Poliklinik für Arbeits-, Sozial- und Umweltmedizin, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, The Maria Sklodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology, Institutul National de Sanatate Publica, University of Toronto, University of Turin, National Center for Public Health and Pharmacy, Université Paris Cité, Université Paris-Saclay, Centre de recherche en Epidémiologie et Santé des Populations, Charles University, Université de Montréal, Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine, Institut für Medizinische Informationsverarbeitung, Biometrie und Epidemiologie, Russian Cancer Research Center NN Blokhin, Boston College, Barcelona Institute for Global Health
Language: English
Subfield: Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $4,514
Award: G858645475
OpenAlex ID: W7223291750