Risk of Skin Cancer in Workers Exposed to Diesel Exhaust: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Cohort Studies

Abstract

Background: Our objective was to study the association between occupational exposure to diesel exhaust (DE) and skin cancer. Methods: A systematic review following STROBE guidelines and PECOS criteria was conducted to identify cohort studies describing the association between occupational DE exposure and the risk of skin cancer. We ex-tracted 12 independent risk estimates for melanoma skin cancer (MSC), 8 for non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC), and 3 for skin cancer not otherwise specified (SC-NOS). Random effects meta-analyses were performed, site-specific and stratified by geographic region and quality score. 95% confidence intervals (CI) were reported. Between-study heterogeneity and potential publication bias were investigated. Results: There was no overall evidence of an in-creased risk of MSC [RR=0.90, 95% CI: 0.73-1.11; I2=92.86%, 95% CI: 82.83-97.03%], NMSC [RR=1.04, 95% CI: 0.88-1.23; I2=60.79%, 95% CI: 0-87.34%] or SC-NOS [RR=0.72, 95% CI: 0.54-0.97; I2=26.60%, 95% CI: 0-94.87%] in workers exposed to DE. No difference between low-quality and high-quality studies was found. A stratified analysis by geographical region did not reveal any significant differences. There was no evidence of publication bias. Conclusions: No evidence of an association between skin cancer and occupational DE exposure was found. Residual confounding and other sources of bias cannot be ruled out.