Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38231405›Full record

SynthesisInternational archives of occupational and environmental health2024

Risk of bladder, kidney and prostate cancer from occupational exposure to welding fumes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Giulia Collatuzzo, Maha Hamdani, Paolo Boffetta

Abstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in International archives of occupational and environmental health, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
1.6field-weighted citation impact, top 20% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 5 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Bladder cancer risk factors: a comprehensive umbrella review of meta-analyses.International journal of surgery (London, England) · 2026
    Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Review
  4. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

Giulia CollatuzzoDepartment of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna, Via Massarenti 9, 40138, Bologna, BO, Italy.
Maha HamdaniIcahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
Paolo BoffettaDepartment of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna, Via Massarenti 9, 40138, Bologna, BO, Italy. paolo.boffetta@unibo.it.ORCID 0000-0002-3811-2791
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai · USStony Brook School · USUniversity of Bologna · IT

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundOur aimed to conduct a meta-analysis of cohort studies on risk of genitourinary (GU) cancers in workers exposed to welding fumes (WF).

methodsWe performed a systematic review of studies published on Pubmed, Scopus and Embase following PRISMA criteria. Two researchers selected cohort studies on WF exposure. From 2582 articles, 7 non-overlapping studies were included. Quality of studies was scored according to CASP. We run a random effects meta-analysis to calculate the relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of GU cancer, overall and stratified by cancer, country, and quality score.

resultsWe included seven studies reporting results on GU cancers, including prostate, bladder and kidney cancer (PC, BC, and KC). The RR was 1.19 (95% CI = 1.07-1.32, 16 risk estimates) for GU cancer; 1.13 (95% CI = 0.90-1.42, 4 risk estimates) for PC; 1.26 (95% CI = 0.98-1.60, 7 risk estimates) for BC and 1.28 (95% CI = 1.12-1.47, 5 risk estimates) for KC. Heterogeneity was present in all meta-analyses (p < 0.001). The increased risk was more pronounced in North American than in European studies (respectively, OR = 1.35, 95% CI = 1.18-1.55; OR = 1.13, 95% CI = 1.01-1.27 p heterogeneity = 0.03). There was no heterogeneity according to quality score (p = 0.4). Data were insufficient to investigate associations by industry or welding type. Publication bias for each cancer was excluded.

conclusionThis meta-analysis suggests increased risk of KC and BC, but not of PC, in workers exposed to WF. Confounding by other occupational and non-occupational risk factors could not be excluded. Data were not adequate to address the risk of specific exposure circumstances.

Indexed as

Kidney NeoplasmsOccupational DiseasesOccupational ExposureProstatic NeoplasmsUrinary Bladder NeoplasmsWeldingAir Pollutants, OccupationalHumansMaleRisk FactorsAir Pollutants, OccupationalBladder cancerKidney cancerOccupational carcinogensProstate cancerWelderWelding fumes

Identifiers

PMID38231405
OpenAlexW4390950044

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.