Talc exposure and risk of stomach cancer: Systematic review and meta-analysis of occupational cohort studies

Abstract

Talc powder is widely used in various industries, but the carcinogenic effects associated with talc are not well understood. The objective of this study was to estimate the risk of stomach cancer after occupational talc exposure. We conducted a meta-analysis was performed to calculate the meta-relative risk (mRR) of stomach cancer. We searched the MEDLINE, EMBASE, CNKI and Wanfang Data databases for publications prior to January 1, 2017 using talc, cancer, and mortality as the search terms. Only cohort studies with occupational talc exposure and stomach cancer statistics were included. All pooled analyses were based on random-effects models. We selected 13 observational studies (12 publications) for the meta-analysis, and heterogeneity was observed among studies. Workers exposed to all forms of talc had a significantly increased mRR of 1.21 (95% CI: 1.03-1.42, p = 0.02) for stomach cancer. Workers exposed to talc not containing asbestiform fibers also had an increased mRR of 1.26 (95% CI: 0.97-1.63, p = 0.09). The available data showed a positive association between occupational talc exposure and risk of stomach cancer. The association between talc not containing asbestiform fibers and risk of stomach cancer was not significant. Further epidemiological studies are required to evaluate the safety of talc.