Yorkshire Case Control Study of Leukaemias and Lymphomas Parallel Multivariate Analyses of Seven Disease Categories

Abstract

Between 1980 and 1986 a case control study of leukaemias aid lymphomas in Yorkshire conducted face to face interviews on 1362 cases and 2442 age and sex matched hospital controls. Case diagnoses were histopathologically confirmed and grouped into non-Hodgkin's lymphomma (NHL), Hodgkin's Disease (HD), malignant lymphocytic lymphoma (MLL.), chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL), acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) and acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). Multivariate analyses were completed on each separate disease to evaluate risk factors relating to past medical history, occupation, environmental exposures and social contact variables. The results show a significant association (with OR adjusted for other risk factors) between a family history of leukaemia/lymphoma and HD (OR = 4.29), NHL (OR = 1.98) and AML (OR = 6.36). For HD other cancers in the family also conveyed a significant risk (OR = 1.61). Use of heart drugs l(and heart disease) was linked to the chronic leukaemias (CML, CLL). A previous cancer and NHL, CLL and AML were associated even after adjustment for radiotherapy. A complex set of risk factors including prior skin lesions and steroid use showed significant links with HD, NHL and CLL., Increasing risk of NHL was linked to small family size. A significant excess of NHL cases reported exposure to glues and similarly ALL cases with agricultural chemical exposure. There present data provide both confirmatory and novel results. Overall they concur with the hypothesis of a multifactoral aetiology encompassing both genetic and immunological components.