Military Occupation and Incident Cancer in Canadian Armed Forces Personnel and Veterans: A Sex‐Stratified Cohort Study
Andrea Marie Jones, Yvon Daniel Cousineau‐Short, Amy L. HallABSTRACT
Background
The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) includes a large workforce with a diverse spectrum of military occupations and potentially related exposures. The objective was to examine associations between service in distinct military occupations and the subsequent development of cancer.
Methods
This retrospective cohort study used CAF administrative data linked to national cancer registry data. Personnel and Veterans with at least 2 years of CAF service between 1990 and 2017 were identified ( N = 19,660 females and 129,840 males). Service in common military occupations was categorized using military occupation codes. Associations with incident primary cancer diagnoses (all cancers combined and specific cancer types) between 1990 and 2017 were analyzed using sex‐stratified Cox proportional hazards models with age as the timeline for analysis, adjusted for enrollment era.
Results
For most military occupations, no significant associations with all cancers combined or specific cancer types were observed in females or males. Exceptions included occupation as an aviation systems technician, which in females was associated with an increased likelihood of breast cancer, and in males with all cancers combined as well as oral, colorectal, Hodgkin lymphoma, non‐Hodgkin lymphoma, and kidney/renal cancers. Positive associations were also observed in females for colorectal cancer in supply technicians, and in males for non‐Hodgkin lymphoma in gunners, pancreatic cancer in infanteers, and lung/bronchus cancer in supply technicians.
Conclusions
These findings can inform health protection measures, benefits and services for military personnel and Veterans. Future research should examine specific factors linked to the increased risks observed.