Perfluorinated compounds are related to breast cancer risk in greenlandic inuit: A case control study

Environmental Health

Research

Tanja Krüger¹  Mandana Ghisari¹  Manhai Long¹  Eva C Bonefeld-Jorgensen¹  Gert Mulvad²  Peder Kern²  Peter Nzulumiki²  Pierre Ayotte³  Eric Dewailly³  Rossana Bossi⁴  Gert Asmund⁴ 

[1] Centre for Arctic Environmental Medicine, Department of Public Health, Aarhus University, Denmark;Dronning Ingrids Hospital, Nuuk, Greenland;Institut National de Santé Publique du Québec, Québec, QC, Canada;National Environmental Research Institute, Aarhus University, Denmark;

关键词: PFCs;    POPs;    combined serum xenohormone and dioxin-like activities;    n-3 fatty acids;   

DOI  :  10.1186/1476-069X-10-88

 received in 2011-05-17, accepted in 2011-10-06,  发布年份 2011

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundBreast cancer (BC) is the most common cancer for women in the western world. From very few cases an extraordinary increase in BC was observed in the Inuit population of Greenland and Canada although still lower than in western populations. Previous data suggest that exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) might contribute to the risk of BC. Rat studies showed that perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) cause significantly increase in mammary fibroadenomas. This study aimed at evaluating the association between serum levels of POPs/PFCs in Greenlandic Inuit BC cases and their controls, and whether the combined POP related effect on nuclear hormone receptors affect BC risk.MethodsThirty-one BC cases and 115 controls were sampled during 2000-2003 from various Greenlandic districts. The serum levels of POPs, PFCs, some metals and the combined serum POP related effect on estrogen- (ER), androgen- (AR) and Ah-receptor (AhR) transactivity were determined. Independent student t-test was used to compare the differences and the odds ratios were estimated by unconditional logistic regression models.ResultsWe observed for the very first time a significant association between serum PFC levels and the risk of BC. The BC cases also showed a significantly higher concentration of polychlorinated biphenyls at the highest quartile. Also for the combined serum POP induced agonistic AR transactivity significant association to BC risk was found, and cases elicited a higher frequency of samples with significant POP related hormone-like agonistic ER transactivity. The AhR toxic equivalent was lowest in cases.ConclusionsThe level of serum POPs, particularly PFCs, might be risk factors in the development of BC in Inuit. Hormone disruption by the combined serum POP related xenoestrogenic and xenoandrogenic activities may contribute to the risk of developing breast cancer in Inuit. Further investigations are needed to document these study conclusions.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© Bonefeld-Jorgensen et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. 2011