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Plasma organochlorine levels and prostate cancer risk

Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology volume 20, pages 434–445 (2010)Cite this article

Abstract

A case–control study was conducted to determine the association between plasma organochlorine levels and prostate cancer risk. Male clinic patients scheduled for prostate core biopsy or seeing their urologist for other conditions from 1997 through 1999 in Kingston, Ontario were eligible, excluding those with an earlier cancer. Age frequency matched controls (n=329) were compared with 79 incident prostate cancer cases. Before knowledge of diagnosis, the patients completed a questionnaire and donated 15 ml of blood for the measurement of 14 PCBs, and 13 organochlorine pesticides by gas chromatography. At least 70% of patients had detectable levels of nine PCB congeners and seven pesticides, and these chemicals were included in the risk analysis adjusted for total lipids. Geometric means for these PCB congeners, total PCBs, and p,p'-DDE are slightly lower for cases than controls, whereas the levels of p,p'-DDT and other pesticides are virtually equal. Adjusting for age and other confounders in multivariable logistic regression, odds ratios (ORs) are consistently below 1.0 for PCB congeners and total PCBs. For pesticides, most ORs are very close to the null. This study suggests that long-term low-level exposure to organochlorine pesticides and PCBs in the general population does not contribute to increased prostate cancer risk.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the following for their invaluable contributions: study participants, Linda Levesque, Catherine Elliott, Jean-Philippe Weber, and Jane Rixten. This study was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research; Astra-Zeneca; by the Investigator Award to KJA from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research; and by the Career Scientist Award to KJA from the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Cancer Care and Epidemiology, Department of Community Health and Epidemiology, Queen's University, Kingston, ,, K7L 3N6, Ontario, Canada

    Kristan J Aronson, Meghan Hamel, Wienta Diarsvitri & Wenli Fan

  2. Department of Urology and Kingston General Hospital, Queen's University, 76 Stuart Street, Kingston, ,, K7L 2V7, Ontario, Canada

    James W L Wilson, Jeremy P W Heaton, J Curtis Nickel & Alvara Morales

  3. Cancer Research Center of Hawai'i, University of Hawai'i, Honolulu, 96813, Hawai'i, USA

    Christy Woolcott

  4. Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, University of British Columbia, John Balfour Urology Centre, D-9, 2733 Heather Street, Vancouver, V5Z 3J5, British Columbia, Canada

    Andrew Macneily

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Aronson, K., Wilson, J., Hamel, M. et al. Plasma organochlorine levels and prostate cancer risk. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol 20, 434–445 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/jes.2009.33

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