The contemporary landscape of occupational bladder cancer within the United Kingdom: a meta‐analysis of risks over the last 80 years

<jats:sec> <jats:title>Objective</jats:title> <jats:p>To profile the contemporary risks of occupational bladder in the UK, as this is a common malignancy that arises through occupational carcinogen exposure.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title>Materials and methods</jats:title> <jats:p> A systematic review using PubMed, Medline, Embase and Web of Science was performed in March 2016. We selected reports of British workers in which bladder cancer or occupation were the main focus, with sufficient cases or with confidence intervals ( <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">CI</jats:styled-content> s). We used the most recent data in populations with multiple reports. We combined odds ratios and risk ratios ( <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">RR</jats:styled-content> s) to provide pooled <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">RR</jats:styled-content> s of incidence and disease‐specific mortality ( <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">DSM</jats:styled-content> ). We tested for heterogeneity and publication bias. We extracted bladder cancer mortality from Office of National Statistics death certificates. We compered across regions and with our meta‐analysis. </jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title>Results</jats:title> <jats:p> We identified 25 articles reporting risks in 702 941 persons. Meta‐analysis revealed significantly increased incidence for 12/37 and <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">DSM</jats:styled-content> for five of 37 occupational classes. Three classes had reduced bladder cancer risks. The greatest risk of bladder cancer incidence occurred in chemical process ( <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">RR</jats:styled-content> 1.87, 95% <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">CI</jats:styled-content> 1.50–2.34), rubber ( <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">RR</jats:styled-content> 1.82, 95% <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">CI</jats:styled-content> 1.4–2.38), and dye workers ( <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">RR</jats:styled-content> 1.8, 95% <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">CI</jats:styled-content> 1.07–3.04). The greatest risk of <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">DSM</jats:styled-content> occurred in electrical ( <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">RR</jats:styled-content> 1.49, 95% <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">CI</jats:styled-content> 1.19–1.87) and chemical process workers ( <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">RR</jats:styled-content> 1.35, 95% <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">CI</jats:styled-content> 1.09–1.68). Bladder cancer mortality was higher in the North of England, probably reflecting smoking patterns and certain industries. Limitations include the lack of sufficient robust data, missing occupational tasks, and no adjustment for smoking. </jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title>Conclusion</jats:title> <jats:p> Occupational bladder cancer occurs in many workplaces and the risks for incidence and <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">DSM</jats:styled-content> may differ. Regional differences may reflect changes in industry and smoking patterns. Relatively little is known about bladder cancer within British industry, suggesting official data underestimate the disease. </jats:p> </jats:sec>