Cancer incidence among visual artists: 45 years of follow-up in four Nordic countries

Authors

  • Rayan Nikkilä a Department of Otorhinolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland;b Research Program in Systems Oncology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland; c Finnish Cancer Registry, Institute for Statistical and Epidemiological Cancer Research, Helsinki, Finland
  • Miikka Peltomaa a Department of Otorhinolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland; d Sibelius Academy, University of the Arts, Helsinki, Finland
  • Timo Carpén a Department of Otorhinolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland; b Research Program in Systems Oncology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
  • Jan Ivar Martinsen e Cancer Registry of Norway, Oslo, Norway
  • Sanna Heikkinen c Finnish Cancer Registry, Institute for Statistical and Epidemiological Cancer Research, Helsinki, Finland
  • Jenny Selander f Institute of Environmental Medicine – IMM, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
  • Ingrid Sivesind Mehlum g National Institute of Occupational Health (STAMI), Oslo, Norway; h Institute of Health and Society, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
  • Jóhanna Eyrún Torfadottir i Icelandic Cancer Registry, Reykjavik, Iceland; j Centre of Public Health Sciences, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland
  • Antti Mäkitie a Department of Otorhinolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland;b Research Program in Systems Oncology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland; k Division of Ear, Nose and Throat Diseases, Department of Clinical Sciences, Intervention and Technology, Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
  • Eero Pukkala c Finnish Cancer Registry, Institute for Statistical and Epidemiological Cancer Research, Helsinki, Finland; l Health Sciences Unit, Faculty of Social Sciences, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1080/0284186X.2023.2263150

Keywords:

Cancer, artistic work, incidence, occupation, risk

Abstract

Introduction

Professional visual artists constitute a heterogeneous vocational group, including, but not limited to painters, photographers, textile artists, and sculptors who may face exposure to workplace hazardous substances and lifestyle factors that may contribute to the development of selected cancers. The objective of this registry-based cohort study was to assess the cancer incidence among Nordic visual artists.

Materials and methods

This study is based on data from the Nordic Occupational Cancer (NOCCA) project that combines census data of 15 million people from all Nordic countries and cancer registries from 1961 to 2005. For the present study we selected a cohort of visual artists from Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. Standardized incidence ratio (SIR) analyses were conducted with the cancer incidence rates for the entire national study populations used as reference rates.

Results

In male visual artists, there were statistically significant excesses in cancers of the tongue (SIR 2.91, 95% confidence interval 1.74–4.55), oral cavity (2.09, 1.26–3.27), pharynx (2.18, 1.45-–3.15), testis (1.91, 1.11–3.05), renal pelvis (2.48, 1.42–4.03) and bladder (1.33, 1.14–1.55). The risk was significantly decreased for cancers of the lip (0.45, 0.18-0.93) and stomach (0.65, 0.50–0.84). In female visual artists, the only significantly increased risk was observed for breast cancer (1.29, 1.13–1.48) and the only significantly decreased risk for stomach cancer (0.43, 0.17–0.88). The incidence of lung cancer was close to the population average in both sexes.

Conclusions

The non-elevated incidence of lung cancer suggests a similar prevalence of smoking between visual artists and the general population, while the elevated risk of cancers of mouth and pharynx among male visual artists is suggestive of more widespread alcohol drinking. The excess risk of urogenital cancers might be associated with exposure to solvents.

NOVELTY & IMPACT

The exposure of visual artists to carcinogens remains unstudied and equivocal. The current study suggests that visual artists carry an overall cancer risk that is slightly above the risk among the general population of the four Nordic countries. We observed in men over two-fold excess risks of cancers of the tongue, oral cavity, pharynx, and renal pelvis, and also a significant risk of testis and bladder cancers.

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Published

2023-10-03

How to Cite

Nikkilä, R., Peltomaa, M., Carpén, T., Ivar Martinsen, J., Heikkinen, S., Selander, J., … Pukkala, E. (2023). Cancer incidence among visual artists: 45 years of follow-up in four Nordic countries. Acta Oncologica, 62(10), 1265–1272. https://doi.org/10.1080/0284186X.2023.2263150

Issue

Vol. 62 No. 10 (2023): Acta Oncologica

Section

Articles