Comment on: Lacasse Y, Martin S, Gagne D, Lakhal L (2009) Dose-response meta-analysis of silica and lung cancer. Cancer Causes Control (e-published ahead of print) doi:10.1007/s10552-009-9296-0.

摘要

With interest, I read the publication of a meta-analysis performed by Lacasse et al.on dose-response coefficients describing the association of cumulative respirable crystalline silica dust exposure (x) and relative risk of contracting or dying from lung cancer (RR) in selected occupational cohorts and for various levels of exposure. This meta-analysis is of major importance to public health because it combines evidence from different sources and informs about the exposure-response association, while applying a flexible spline regression approach to estimate the form and uncertainty of the dose-response curve. However, I'd like to draw your attention to a relevant problem the analysis suffers from.