Cancer risk among agricultural workers

In 2010, the Cancer Registry of Norway and the Janus Bank were invited to participate in an international consortium of agricultural cohorts, AGRICOH. The overall research purpose is to study cancer risk among farmers and others with work in agriculture.

Last updated: 7/13/2023

Background

Previous studies of farmers have shown a low risk of lifestyle-related cancers such as lung and colon cancer, and a slightly elevated risk of leukemia and lymphoma, which may be linked to specific exposures in agriculture.

Links between the Janus serum bank, the agricultural census and the population and housing censuses in Statistics Norway show that about 40,000 of the donors in the Janus Bank have worked in agriculture. This cohort will form the basis for further studies of cancer biomarkers.

Team

The project is part of a large international consortium, consisting of 30 cohorts from five continents.

The consortium is coordinated by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) http://agricoh.iarc.fr/ the Cancer Registry of Norway is responsible for the Norwegian participation, and the National Institute of Occupational Health (STAMI) is a key partner.

The project group at the Cancer Registry. Fv: Tone Eggen, Hilde Langseth, Ronnie Babigumira, Kristina Kjærheim, Jan Ivar Martinsen

Publications

Leon ME et.al (2011). AGRICOH: a consortium of agricultural cohorts. Int J Environ Res