Organochlorine pesticides accumulation and breast cancer: A hospital-based case–control study

Abstract

The aim of this study is to detect the accumulation status of organochlorine pesticides in breast cancer patients and to explore the relationship between organochlorine pesticides contamination and breast cancer development. We conducted a hospital-based case-control study in 56 patients with breast cancer and 46 patients with benign breast disease. We detected the accumulation level of several organochlorine pesticides products (β-hexachlorocyclohexane, γ-hexachlorocyclohexane, polychlorinated biphenyls-28, polychlorinated biphenyls-52, pentachlorothioanisole, and pp′-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane) in breast adipose tissues of all 102 patients using gas chromatography. Thereafter, we examined the expression status of estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2), and Ki-67 in 56 breast cancer cases by immunohistochemistry. In addition, we analyzed the risk of breast cancer in those patients with organochlorine pesticides contamination using a logistic regression model. Our data showed that breast cancer patients suffered high accumulation levels of pp′-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane and polychlorinated biphenyls-52. However, the concentrations of pp′-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane and polychlorinated biphenyls-52 were not related to clinicopathologic parameters of breast cancer. Further logistic regression analysis showed polychlorinated biphenyls-52 and pp′-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane were risk factors for breast cancer. Our results provide new evidence on etiology of breast cancer.

Mortality in Yusho patients exposed to polychlorinated biphenyls and polychlorinated dibenzofurans: a 50-year retrospective cohort study

“…Although recent case-control studies suggested positive associations between breast cancer and PCBs [ 33 – 35 ], we found no increase in breast or uterine cancer mortality. Our results accord with findings from previous Yusho and Yucheng cohort studies [ 11 , 12 , 16 ].…”

Environmental Exposure to Pesticides and Breast Cancer in a Region of Intensive Agribusiness Activity in Brazil: A Case-Control Study

“…Regarding pesticides in particular, several studies have suggested their potential genotoxicity, immunotoxicity, ability to act as tumor promoters and as endocrine disruptors, as the pathophysiology mechanisms related to the increasing risk of breast cancer [9,10,11,12,13,14]. In humans, a case-control study including 1169 cases and 1743 controls was conducted in Canada from 2009 to 2011.…”

The Undervalued Effects of Polychlorinated Biphenyl Exposure on Breast Cancer

“…50 Qingdao, China, offered evidence that PCB 28 and 52 (both of which belong to group IA) are associated with an increased risk for breast cancer. 60,61 The heavy consumption of fish is likely responsible for the strong correlation between breast cancer risk and the less persistent congener found in native populations, although this is not mentioned in either study. In view of this matter, we suggest that not too much attention be paid to the effects of lower chlorinated congeners, because the human exposure level is very low, and although lower chlorinated congeners have stronger estrogenic activity than higher chlorinated ones, their half-lives are much shorter, so it is hard to produce the necessary chronic exposure.…”