Adipose organochlorine concentrations and risk of breast cancer among postmenopausal Danish women.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

Exposure to environmental organochlorines has been examined as a potential risk factor for human breast cancer with mixed results. Our purpose was to examine associations between organochlorines and the development of breast cancer in a large prospective study using stored adipose tissue.

METHODS:

We conducted a nested case-control study of 409 postmenopausal women who developed breast cancer and 409 controls selected from the 29,875 women enrolled in the Danish Diet, Cancer, and Health cohort between 1993 and 1997. We measured concentrations of 14 pesticides and 18 polychlorinated biphenyls in adipose tissue, collected upon enrollment, and estimated relative risk (RR) of breast cancer using conditional logistic regression.

RESULTS:

The results showed no higher risk of breast cancer among women with higher levels of any pesticides or polychlorinated biphenyls; the RR associated with the upper quartile of 1,1-dichloro-2, 2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethylene concentration was 0.7 [95% confidence interval (95% CI), 0.5-1.2] contrasting the lower quartile, and for the sum of polychlorinated biphenyls the similar risk was 1.1 (95% CI, 0.7-1.7). We observed a pattern of substantially lower risk of estrogen receptor-negative breast cancer in association with higher levels of most of the pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls; the RR for the higher quartile of 1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethylene was 0.1 (95% CI, 0.0-0.5) and for the sum of polychlorinated biphenyls it was 0.3 (95% CI, 0.1-0.9).

CONCLUSION:

The results do not support that higher organochlorine body levels increase the risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women. The interpretation of the inverse association for estrogen receptor-negative breast cancer is currently unclear.

• Authors: Ole Raaschou-Nielsen, Marian Pavuk, Alain Leblanc, Pierre Dumas, Jean Philippe Weber, Anja Olsen, Anne Tjønneland, Kim Overvad, Jørgen H Olsen
• Journal: Cancer epidemiology, biomarkers & prevention : a publication of the American Association for Cancer Research, cosponsored by the American Society of Preventive Oncology (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev) Vol. 14 Issue 1 Pg. 67-74 (Jan 2005) ISSN: 1055-9965 [Print] United States
• PMID: 15668478 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated
• Pesticide Residues
• Polychlorinated Biphenyls

Topics

• Adipose Tissue (chemistry)
• Breast Neoplasms (epidemiology)
• Case-Control Studies
• Denmark (epidemiology)
• Female
• Humans
• Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated (analysis)
• Logistic Models
• Middle Aged
• Pesticide Residues (analysis)
• Polychlorinated Biphenyls (analysis)
• Postmenopause
• Prospective Studies
• Risk Factors
• Surveys and Questionnaires