Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Meta-Analysis
. 1998 Sep;34(3):252-60.
doi: 10.1002/(sici)1097-0274(199809)34:3<252::aid-ajim7>3.0.co;2-x.

Meta-analyses of brain cancer and farming

Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Meta-analyses of brain cancer and farming

S A Khuder et al. Am J Ind Med. 1998 Sep.

Abstract

Background: A series of meta-analyses of peer-reviewed studies of brain cancer and farming were performed, using 33 studies published between 1981 and 1996.

Methods: Before the meta-analyses, all studies were reviewed and evaluated for heterogeneity and publication bias. A random-effect model was used to estimate the combined relative risk.

Results: A meta-analysis including all the studies yielded an estimator of relative risk equal to 1.30, with a 95% confidence interval (95% CI) of 1.09, 1.56. The estimator of relative risk obtained from a meta-analysis restricted to female farmers was 1.04 (95% CI = 0.84, 1.29). A third meta-analysis restricted to studies of farmers residing in the central United States resulted in an estimator of relative risk equal 1.25 (95% CI = 1.09, 1.44). These findings were not influenced by either a publication bias or a specific study design.

Conclusion: The consistent significant positive findings suggests that there is a weak association between brain cancer and farming. Exposures commonly experienced by farmers including infectious microorganisms and pesticides may contribute to the increased risk of brain cancer.

PubMed Disclaimer

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources