Evaluation of occupational exposures in lung cancer

Occupational lung cancers are underestimated by the number of cases compens ated in the French National Insurance System. Rules of compensation of occu pational diseases were recently modified in France. Therefore a study was c onducted on incident cases of lung cancer lit a general hospital in the Pal is area. The aim was to evaluate the exposure to carcinogens using data of a detailed specific occupational questionnaire, and to determine the numbe r of cases who could receive compensation. Two hundred and seven subjects ( 171 males, 36 females, mean age = 64.5 years) were eligible in 1996 and 122 had an occupational questionnaire. Definite exposure to one of more occupa tional carcinogens in at least one job was identified in 50 subjects, the m ost frequent agent was asbestos (42 subjects). Claim for compensation? was done in 32 subjects, mainly for asbestos (30 subjects). This study emphasiz es the frequency of occupational exposure to carcinogens, and the usefulnes s of systematic occupational questionnaire in subjects having lung cancer S ocial and financial consequences are important for these subjects. Further studies are needed, with recruitement of control subjects to allow calculat ion of the attributable risk to occupational factors in lung cancer.