New study backs solvent, leukemia link

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Research from Italy provides new evidence that exposure to the industrial solvent benzene increases a person’s risk of developing multiple myeloma.

Dr. Adele Seniori Constantini of the Center for Study and Prevention of Cancer and her colleagues also found an increased risk of chronic lymphoid leukemia with benzene exposure. Two other oil-derived industrial chemicals, xylene and toluene, were also tied to greater chronic lymphoid leukemia risk.

Benzene, a known carcinogen, is used in the manufacturing of plastic, synthetic rubber, dyes and drugs. It is understood to cause acute myeloid leukemia, but its association with multiple myeloma and chronic lymphoid leukemia risk “are still under debate,” Constantini and her team explain in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine.

To investigate, they identified all cases of blood and lymphatic cancers diagnosed in people 20 to 74 years old between 1991 and 1993 in 11 regions in Italy, including a total of 2,737 malignancies. In the current study, they looked at 586 cases of leukemia found in seven of the regions, comparing chemical exposures for the ill individuals to those for 1,278 controls based on occupation.

There was no association between acute myeloid leukemia and benzene, probably, the researchers say, because the disease develops within a relatively short time after exposure, and the cases were diagnosed about 30 years after benzene was “effectively banned” by a 1963 law limiting the amount used in industrial materials to 2 percent.

The researchers did find a link between multiple myeloma and chronic lymphoid leukemia and benzene exposure.

Overall, medium to high levels of benzene exposure nearly doubled the risk of these two blood cancers. The more intense exposure was and the longer it lasted, the greater the risk.

Being exposed to medium to high levels of benzene for more than 15 years increased a person’s chronic lymphoid leukemia risk 4.7-fold, while the same degree of exposure to xylene more than tripled risk. Similar exposure to toluene boosted chronic lymphoid leukemia risk 4.4-fold. However, the increased risk for multiple myeloma was only seen with benzene, not with exposure to the other two chemicals.

“Our results,” the team concludes, “even if based on small numbers, are in agreement with the hypothesis that acute myeloid leukemia risk following benzene exposure declines in time while chronic lymphoid leukemia and multiple myeloma risks are not seen until a longer latency period has passed.”

SOURCE: American Journal of Industrial Medicine

Source

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Related Posts:


ZURICH (Reuters) - Novartis AG’s cancer drug Tasigna was effective and helped achieve rapid responses as an initial therapy in newly diagnosed patients with a life threatening form of leukemia, the company said. Data from two mid-stage clinical trials presented at an American Society of Hematology meeting showed there was rapid elimination of cancer cells in

Full Post: Novartis leukemia drugs show promise
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A study of Vietnam War era veterans shows that exposure to Agent Orange is associated with more than a two-fold increased risk of prostate cancer, earlier disease onset, and prostate cancer with more aggressive features. “Consideration should be made to classify this group of individuals as ‘high risk’, just like men

Full Post: Agent Orange exposure linked to prostate cancer
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Patients with heart rhythm disturbances who have an implantable heart defibrillator are particularly vulnerable to air pollution, a Swedish study indicates. In patients with these devices, known as implantable cardioverter defibrillators, or ICDs, exposure to air pollution may rapidly (within 2 hours) prompt ventricular arrhythmia — a potentially life-threatening condition in

Full Post: Air pollution may prompt abnormal heart rhythm
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Having the so-called metabolic syndrome may raise the risk of chronic kidney disease in people with type 2 diabetes, researchers from China report. Metabolic syndrome refers to a cluster of risk factors for diabetes and heart disease — including abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, low levels of “good”

Full Post: Metabolic syndrome predicts kidney disease
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A large waist circumference, which is known to raise the risk of cardiovascular disease, may also raise the risk of stroke or mini-stroke, researchers from Germany report. A large waistline seems to be a better indicator of a person’s risk for suffering a stroke or mini-stroke, also known as “transient ischemic

Full Post: Large waist size a good predictor of stroke risk

Site Navigation

Most Read

Search

Contact

  • kinwrite.com@gmail.com