EXPOSURE TO OCCUPATIONAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL-FACTORS IN MYELODYSPLASTICSYNDROMES - PRELIMINARY-RESULTS OF A CASE-CONTROL STUDY

We performed a case-control study of occupational and environmental ri sk factors in myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) diagnosed at our institu tion, using the method of Siemia-tycki. A control for each MDS case, m atched for age, sex, and residence area was chosen. The questionnaire asked demographic data, medical history, and information on life-time environmental and occupational exposures. Occupational exposures were first assessed by job titles, then by evaluating exposure to a list of 70 chemicals, and the level and duration of exposure to those chemica ls (exposure index). In the first 100 cases and controls analyzed, a s ignificantly higher incidence of smokers or ex-smokers was seen in MDS cases (odds ratio, OR = 1.83, P = 0.03). A significant excess of MDS was found in male patients with jobs (or previous jobs) generally expo sing to chemical compounds, including plant and machine operators and assemblers (odds ratio, OR = 3.73, P = 0.014) whereas, on the contrary , technicians and associate professionals were more often seen in cont rols (OR = 0.17, P = 0.002). In males, there was also a trend for more skilled agricultural workers and coal miners in MDS cases. In females , there was a non-significant trend for more professionals in controls . After adjusting for sex, age and smoking habits, significantly more frequent exposure to stone dusts (OR = 3.06, P = 0.011), and cereal du sts (OR = 2.27, P = 0.04) was found. There was also a trend for higher incidence of exposure to exhaust gases and nitro-organic explosives. In addition, significantly higher exposure indices to petrol and diese l derivatives (P = 0.03) and to fertilizers (P = 0.003) were seen in M DS cases, as compared to controls. No significant difference in exposu re to other chemicals was seen between MDS cases and controls. These p reliminary results of our study, which is accruing more cases, suggest , as two previously published case-control studies of risk factors in MDS, that exposure to some chemicals may be involved in the pathogenes is of MDS.