This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Tranah, G. J. Articles by Holly, E. A. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Tranah, G. J. Articles by Holly, E. A.

Domestic and Farm-Animal Exposures and Risk of Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma in a Population-Based Study in the San Francisco Bay Area

¹ California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute; ² Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, California and ³ Department of Health Research and Policy, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California

Requests for reprints: Gregory J. Tranah, California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute, San Francisco Coordinating Center, University of California-San Francisco, 185 Berry Street, Lobby 4, Suite 5700, San Francisco, CA 94107-1728. Phone: 415-600-7410; Fax: 415-514-8150. E-mail: gtranah{at}psg.ucsf.edu

Objective: To assess the association between animal exposures and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL).

Methods: Exposure data were collected from 1,591 cases and 2,515 controls during in-person interviews in a population-based case-control study of NHL in the San Francisco Bay Area. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were adjusted for potential confounders.

Results: Pet owners had a reduced risk of NHL (OR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.52-0.97) and diffuse large-cell lymphoma large cell (DLCL; OR, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.39-0.87) compared with those who never had owned a pet. Ever having owned dogs and/or cats was associated with reduced risk of all NHL (OR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.54-0.94) and of DLCL (OR, 0.60; 95% CI, 0.42-0.86). Longer duration of cat ownership (P_trend = 0.008), dog ownership (P_trend = 0.04), and dog and/or cat ownership (P_trend = 0.004) was inversely associated with risk of NHL. Ownership of pets other than cats and dogs was associated with a reduced risk of NHL (OR, 0.64; 95% CI, 0.55-0.74) and DLCL (OR, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.47-0.71). Exposure to cattle for 5 years was associated with an increased risk of NHL (OR, 1.6; 95% CI, 1.0-2.5) as was exposure to pigs for all NHL (OR, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.2-2.6) and for DLCL (OR, 2.0; 95% CI, 1.2-3.4).

Conclusions: The association between animal exposure and NHL warrants further investigation in pooled analyses. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2008;17(9):2382–7)