Worldwide Studies of Household Radon Exposure and Lung Cancer.

摘要

The purpose of this paper is to summarize the ongoing studies of household radon exposure and lung cancer. To accomplish the above objective, a registry of ongoing epidemiologic studies was consulted. A questionnaire was sent to all known investigators. Principal investigators reviewed their listing and provided copies of their questionnaires. Ongoing studies are larger in size and provide more complete information on radon exposures and various confounders (e.g., cigarette smoking and occupation) than do most previously published studies. For example, out of 17 case/control studies in progress, almost all will collect information on active and passive smoking, occupation, and residential history. Ten of the studies will collect information on family history of cancer and diet. However, although the ongoing studies are more sophisticated, they generally are not standardized in protocol design or questionnaire development. Hence it may prove somewhat difficult to combine a number of studies. The feasibility of pooling data from these studies should be examined by experts in meta-analysis. If results from these studies are inconsistent or negative with respect to radon exposure and lung cancer, then a further study or studies should be considered. Such a study could be in a high radon area, use standardized protocols and questionnaires and be a multi-center, collaborative effort. A feasibility study for such an expanded epidemiologic effort is recommended. 44 refs., 9 tabs.