BACKGROUND: Scientific evidence supports an association between environmental exposures and cancer. However, a reliable estimate for the proportion of cancers attributable to environmental factors is currently unavailable. This may be related to the varying definitions of the term "environment." The current review aims to determine how the reporting of the definition of the environment and of the estimates of environmentally attributable risks have changed over the past 50 years. METHODS: A systematic literature search was performed to retrieve all relevant publications relating to the environment and cancer from January 1960 to December 2010 using PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, and Web of Science. Definitions of the environment and environmentally attributable risks for cancer were extracted from each relevant publication. RESULTS: The search resulted in 261 relevant publications. We found vast discrepancies in the definition of the environment, ranging from broad (including lifestyle factors, occupational exposures, pollutants, and other non-genetic factors) to narrow (including air, water, and soil pollutants). Reported environmentally attributable risk estimates ranged from 1% to 100%. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings emphasize the discrepancies in reporting environmental causation of cancer and the limits of inference in interpreting environmentally attributable risk estimates. Rather than achieving consensus on a single definition for the environment, we suggest the focus be on achieving transparency for any environmentally attributable risks. Published by Elsevier Inc.
BACKGROUND: Scientific evidence supports an association between environmental exposures and cancer. However, a reliable estimate for the proportion of cancers attributable to environmental factors is currently unavailable. This may be related to the varying definitions of the term "environment." The current review aims to determine how the reporting of the definition of the environment and of the estimates of environmentally attributable risks have changed over the past 50 years. METHODS: A systematic literature search was performed to retrieve all relevant publications relating to the environment and cancer from January 1960 to December 2010 using PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, and Web of Science. Definitions of the environment and environmentally attributable risks for cancer were extracted from each relevant publication. RESULTS: The search resulted in 261 relevant publications. We found vast discrepancies in the definition of the environment, ranging from broad (including lifestyle factors, occupational exposures, pollutants, and other non-genetic factors) to narrow (including air, water, and soil pollutants). Reported environmentally attributable risk estimates ranged from 1% to 100%. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings emphasize the discrepancies in reporting environmental causation of cancer and the limits of inference in interpreting environmentally attributable risk estimates. Rather than achieving consensus on a single definition for the environment, we suggest the focus be on achieving transparency for any environmentally attributable risks. Published by Elsevier Inc.
Authors: P Lichtenstein; N V Holm; P K Verkasalo; A Iliadou; J Kaprio; M Koskenvuo; E Pukkala; A Skytthe; K Hemminki Journal: N Engl J Med Date: 2000-07-13 Impact factor: 91.245
Authors: William H Goodson; Leroy Lowe; David O Carpenter; Michael Gilbertson; Abdul Manaf Ali; Adela Lopez de Cerain Salsamendi; Ahmed Lasfar; Amancio Carnero; Amaya Azqueta; Amedeo Amedei; Amelia K Charles; Andrew R Collins; Andrew Ward; Anna C Salzberg; Annamaria Colacci; Ann-Karin Olsen; Arthur Berg; Barry J Barclay; Binhua P Zhou; Carmen Blanco-Aparicio; Carolyn J Baglole; Chenfang Dong; Chiara Mondello; Chia-Wen Hsu; Christian C Naus; Clement Yedjou; Colleen S Curran; Dale W Laird; Daniel C Koch; Danielle J Carlin; Dean W Felsher; Debasish Roy; Dustin G Brown; Edward Ratovitski; Elizabeth P Ryan; Emanuela Corsini; Emilio Rojas; Eun-Yi Moon; Ezio Laconi; Fabio Marongiu; Fahd Al-Mulla; Ferdinando Chiaradonna; Firouz Darroudi; Francis L Martin; Frederik J Van Schooten; Gary S Goldberg; Gerard Wagemaker; Gladys N Nangami; Gloria M Calaf; Graeme Williams; Gregory T Wolf; Gudrun Koppen; Gunnar Brunborg; H Kim Lyerly; Harini Krishnan; Hasiah Ab Hamid; Hemad Yasaei; Hideko Sone; Hiroshi Kondoh; Hosni K Salem; Hsue-Yin Hsu; Hyun Ho Park; Igor Koturbash; Isabelle R Miousse; A Ivana Scovassi; James E Klaunig; Jan Vondráček; Jayadev Raju; Jesse Roman; John Pierce Wise; Jonathan R Whitfield; Jordan Woodrick; Joseph A Christopher; Josiah Ochieng; Juan Fernando Martinez-Leal; Judith Weisz; Julia Kravchenko; Jun Sun; Kalan R Prudhomme; Kannan Badri Narayanan; Karine A Cohen-Solal; Kim Moorwood; Laetitia Gonzalez; Laura Soucek; Le Jian; Leandro S D'Abronzo; Liang-Tzung Lin; Lin Li; Linda Gulliver; Lisa J McCawley; Lorenzo Memeo; Louis Vermeulen; Luc Leyns; Luoping Zhang; Mahara Valverde; Mahin Khatami; Maria Fiammetta Romano; Marion Chapellier; Marc A Williams; Mark Wade; Masoud H Manjili; Matilde E Lleonart; Menghang Xia; Michael J Gonzalez; Michalis V Karamouzis; Micheline Kirsch-Volders; Monica Vaccari; Nancy B Kuemmerle; Neetu Singh; Nichola Cruickshanks; Nicole Kleinstreuer; Nik van Larebeke; Nuzhat Ahmed; Olugbemiga Ogunkua; P K Krishnakumar; Pankaj Vadgama; Paola A Marignani; Paramita M Ghosh; Patricia Ostrosky-Wegman; Patricia A Thompson; Paul Dent; Petr Heneberg; Philippa Darbre; Po Sing Leung; Pratima Nangia-Makker; Qiang Shawn Cheng; R Brooks Robey; Rabeah Al-Temaimi; Rabindra Roy; Rafaela Andrade-Vieira; Ranjeet K Sinha; Rekha Mehta; Renza Vento; Riccardo Di Fiore; Richard Ponce-Cusi; Rita Dornetshuber-Fleiss; Rita Nahta; Robert C Castellino; Roberta Palorini; Roslida Abd Hamid; Sabine A S Langie; Sakina E Eltom; Samira A Brooks; Sandra Ryeom; Sandra S Wise; Sarah N Bay; Shelley A Harris; Silvana Papagerakis; Simona Romano; Sofia Pavanello; Staffan Eriksson; Stefano Forte; Stephanie C Casey; Sudjit Luanpitpong; Tae-Jin Lee; Takemi Otsuki; Tao Chen; Thierry Massfelder; Thomas Sanderson; Tiziana Guarnieri; Tove Hultman; Valérian Dormoy; Valerie Odero-Marah; Venkata Sabbisetti; Veronique Maguer-Satta; W Kimryn Rathmell; Wilhelm Engström; William K Decker; William H Bisson; Yon Rojanasakul; Yunus Luqmani; Zhenbang Chen; Zhiwei Hu Journal: Carcinogenesis Date: 2015-06 Impact factor: 4.944
Authors: Mary C White; Lucy A Peipins; Meg Watson; Katrina F Trivers; Dawn M Holman; Juan L Rodriguez Journal: J Adolesc Health Date: 2013-05 Impact factor: 5.012