Cancer as an Occupational Disease
Report a suspected case of work-related cancer!
Cancers may have occupational causes and may, under certain circumstances, be recognised as occupational diseases (legal foundations).
At about 500,000 new cancer cases annually (Robert Koch Institute’s Center for Cancer Registration Data), 25,000 work-related malignancies are to be expected each year (Doll and Peto, 1981 [USA]; Rushoton et al. 2008 [UK]). In 2013, on the other hand, less than 9000 such occupational-disease reports have been registered (DGUV, Cancer Registration Data at the Robert Koch Institute) and only 2,241 cases were recognised as occupational diseases in 2010 (DGUV Central Association for Cancer Cases with Occupational Causes). Recognised occupational cancer cases therefore represent less than 0.5% of all cases of cancer. For this reason, the real number of tumours with occupational causes may be relatively high at an estimated 4% (Doll and Peto, 1981 [USA]).
Since there are often decades between the detrimental occupational exposure and the cancer diagnosis, it is important to take a thorough occupational anamnesis which considers the patient’s entire working life (all work activities performed and all hazardous work substances) in order to find a connection. For the next 10 to 30 years, most work-related cancer cases will likely be attributed to inherited effects of working with asbestos, uranium, and aromatic amines.
The malignancies (cancer cases) listed in the current occupational-disease legislation can be recognised as occupational diseases and compensated. Please click on the cancer in question for typical careers, detrimental effects, and other important information.
Information for affected patients:
If you suspect a possible occupational cause for your cancerous disease, please discuss your concerns with your doctor and note any possible causes. You may report your suspicions to your statutory accident-insurance provider or the state occupational physician as well.
Information for doctors:
If there is a justifiably suspected occupational cause for your patient’s cancerous disease, a report must be made to the relevant accident-insurance provider or state occupational physician (SGB VII). The patient must be informed, but the patient does not have to give his or her consent to make a report. A report must include the work activities performed as well as hazardous work substances handled, duration of exposure, and potential protective or hygiene measures which were taken. Significant work-related effects may be possible with concurrent exposures, e.g. via smoking; a report must be made in such cases as well in order to allow for a comprehensive investigation.
Even if the patient did not work with the hazardous substances him- or herself but was exposed to such substances indirectly in their own work (e.g. working without protective measures at a neighbouring work area), sufficient exposure for an occupational cancer is possible.
Care for cancer patients at Erlangen’s Uniklinikum Erlangen is carried out in the certified and/or peer-reviewed structures of the German Cancer Society (DKG), Deutsche Krebshilfe (DKH), or the Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF).
The structures for clinical care are concentrated in the Oncological Centre (ONZ); the structures for translational cancer research and clinical studies are concentrated in the Comprehensive Cancer Center of Erlangen and the European Metropolitan Region of Nuremberg (CCC ER-EMN; CCC WERA) as well as in the National Centre for Tumour Diseases.