Systematic review and meta-analysis of glyphosate exposure and risk of lymphohematopoietic cancers.
Level 3 - non-randomized controlled study
Systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies.
PubMed 27015139 · doi:10.1080/03601234.2016.1142748
What was done
This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated observational studies examining the association between glyphosate exposure (any versus no use) and risk of lymphohematopoietic cancers (LHC), including non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), Hodgkin lymphoma (HL), multiple myeloma (MM), and leukemia.
What was found
Glyphosate exposure was associated with marginally statistically significant elevated risks for NHL (meta-RR = 1.3, 95% CI = 1.0-1.6; 6 studies) and MM (meta-RR = 1.4, 95% CI = 1.0-1.9; 4 studies). Associations were null for HL (meta-RR = 1.1, 95% CI = 0.7-1.6; 2 studies), leukemia (meta-RR = 1.0, 95% CI = 0.6-1.5; 3 studies), and NHL subtypes other than B-cell lymphoma (2 studies each).
Why it matters
Synthesizes observational data on glyphosate and blood cancers, concluding that modest risk elevations for NHL and MM are based on a limited evidence base that does not establish causality.
Limits
The meta-analysis is limited by very few studies per cancer type (ranging from 2 to 6), a crude exposure metric (any versus no use), potential bias, and residual confounding across the underlying studies.
Cited by
- context Glyphosate exposure causes lymphoma.