Cadmium (Cd) is a known carcinogen, but its impact on cancer risk at lower concentrations is poorly understood. Previous studies on Cd and cancer risk in men show inconsistent results, prompting ...further investigation. A prospective cohort study involving 2956 men was conducted. Blood Cd levels were measured, and participants were followed for 78 months to assess cancer incidence. Men with high blood Cd levels (>0.71 µg/L) had a significantly increased risk of cancer compared to those with low levels (<0.19 µg/L) (HR 3.42,
< 0.001), particularly among non-smokers (HR 3.74,
= 0.003), individuals aged < 60 years (HR 2.79,
= 0.017), and ≥60 (HR 4.63,
= 0.004). The influence of smoking on cancer risk based on Cd levels was not significant in this study. Blood Cd levels may influence cancer risk in men, emphasizing the importance of minimizing Cd exposure to reduce risk. Confirmation of these results in other populations is essential for effective preventive measures against Cd-related cancers.
Breast cancer and ovarian cancer pose a significant risk for BRCA1 carriers, with limited risk-reduction strategies. While improved screening helps in the early detection of breast cancer, preventive ...measures remain elusive. Emerging evidence suggests a potential link between iodine levels and modulation of cancer risk, but comprehensive studies are scarce. We conducted a prospective study among 989 BRCA1 carriers to assess the association between blood iodine levels and breast and ovarian cancer risk. Using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, we measured blood iodine levels and observed a negative association with breast cancer risk, with a significantly lower risk observed in quartile 4 (iodine > 38.0 µg/L) compared with quartile 1 (iodine < 30 µg/L) (HR = 0.49; 95%CI: 0.27–0.87; p = 0.01). Conversely, a suggestive increase in ovarian cancer risk was observed at higher iodine levels (HR = 1.91; 95%CI: 0.64–5.67; p = 0.25). No significant association was found between iodine levels and overall cancer risk. Our results suggest the potential of iodine to reduce breast cancer risk in BRCA1 carriers after prophylactic oophorectomy but require further validation and investigation of its effect on ovarian cancer risk and overall mortality. These findings highlight the need for personalized strategies to manage cancer risk in BRCA1 carriers.
The most prevalent type of cancer among males is prostate cancer. Survival is considered quite good, but it can be further improved when risk factors are optimized. One of these factors is ...micronutrients, including Se and Zn. To our knowledge, the interaction between Se and Zn and prostate cancer remains undescribed. This study aimed to investigate the optimal levels of selenium (Se) and zinc (Zn) and their impact on the survival of individuals diagnosed with prostate cancer. A total of 338 prostate cancer patients were enrolled in this study, which was conducted in Poland between 2009 and 2015. Mass spectrometry, which uses inductively coupled plasma mass, was used to assess serum element levels before treatment. The study participants were categorized into quartiles (QI-QIV) based on the distributions of Se and Zn levels observed among surviving participants. Cox regression was used to assess the association between serum Se and Zn levels and the survival of prostate cancer patients. Our results reveal the effect of combined Se and Zn levels on survival in prostate cancer patients (SeQI-ZnQI vs. SeQIV-ZnQIV; HR = 20.9). These results need further research to establish Se/Zn norms for different populations.
Arsenic is recognized as a potent carcinogen at high concentrations, but the relationship between environmental arsenic and breast cancer risk has not well been studied. Most research has focused on ...the effect of arsenic in populations with high endemic exposure, and not in populations with arsenic levels within normal limits. We sought to determine if blood arsenic levels predict the risk of breast and other cancers risk among women in northern Poland. The cohort consisted of 1,702 healthy women, aged 40 and above, identified between 2010 and 2017. Blood arsenic level was determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. After an average of 4.5 years of follow‐up (range 0.7–7.3 years), there were 110 incident cases of cancer diagnosed in the cohort, including 68 cases of breast cancer. Women in the highest quartile of arsenic had a highly significant 13‐fold increased risk of developing breast cancer, compared to women in the lowest quartile (hazard ratio HR = 13.2; 95% confidence interval CI 4.02–43.0). Results were similar for arsenic and all incident cancers (HR quartile 4 vs. quartile 1 = 13.3; 95% CI 4.78–37.0). If confirmed, our study suggests that the blood arsenic level may be a useful predictive marker of cancer risk in women.
What's new?
Arsenic has long been recognized as a potent carcinogen at high concentrations. But can it affect cancer risk at “normal,” environmental concentrations? In this Polish study, the authors found that women whose blood levels of arsenic were in the highest quartile had a 13‐fold increased risk of developing breast cancer, compared to women in the lowest quartile. If confirmed in further studies, these results suggests that blood arsenic level may be a useful predictive marker of cancer risk in women.
Stress contributes to various aspects of malignancy and could influence survival in laryngeal cancer patients. Among antioxidant mechanisms, zinc and the antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase 2, ...catalase and glutathione peroxidase 1 play a major role. The aim of this study was a prospective evaluation of the survival of patients with laryngeal cancer in relation to serum levels of zinc in combination with functional genotype differences of three key antioxidant enzymes. The study group consisted of 300 patients treated surgically for laryngeal cancer. Serum zinc levels and common polymorphisms in SOD2, CAT and GPX1 were analyzed. The risk of death in patients with the lowest zinc levels was increased in comparison with patients with the highest levels. Polymorphisms of antioxidant genes by themselves were not correlated with survival, however, serum zinc level impact on survival was stronger for SOD2 TC/TT and CAT CC variants. GPX1 polymorphisms did not correlate with zinc levels regarding survival. In conclusion, serum zinc concentration appears to be an important prognostic factor for survival of patients diagnosed with laryngeal cancer. When higher zinc levels were correlated with polymorphisms in SOD2 and CAT a further increase in survival was observed.
BRCA1 mutations substantially elevate the risks of breast and ovarian cancer. Various modifiers, including environmental factors, can influence cancer risk. Lead, a known carcinogen, has been ...associated with various cancers, but its impact on BRCA1 carriers remains unexplored. A cohort of 989 BRCA1 mutation carriers underwent genetic testing at the Pomeranian Medical University, Poland. Blood lead levels were measured using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Each subject was assigned to a category based on their tertile of blood lead. Cox regression analysis was used to assess cancer risk associations. Elevated blood lead levels (>13.6 μg/L) were associated with an increased risk of ovarian cancer (univariable: HR = 3.33; 95% CI: 1.23-9.00;
= 0.02; multivariable: HR = 2.10; 95% CI: 0.73-6.01;
= 0.17). No significant correlation was found with breast cancer risk. High blood lead levels are associated with increased risk of ovarian cancer in BRCA1 carriers, suggesting priority for preventive salpingo-oophorectomy. Potential risk reduction strategies include detoxification. Validation in diverse populations and exploration of detoxification methods for lowering lead levels are required.
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Exposure to environmental and occupational carcinogens is an important cause of lung cancer. One of these substances is chromium, ...which is found ubiquitously across the planet. The International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified chromium(VI) as a human carcinogen. The aim of this study was to assess whether serum chromium levels, as well as DNA variants in selected genes involved in carcinogenesis, xenobiotic-metabolism, and oxidative stress could be helpful in the detection of lung cancer. We conducted a study using 218 lung cancer patients and 218 matched healthy controls. We measured serum chromium levels and genotyped ten genetic variants in
ERCC2
,
XRCC1
,
MT1B
,
GSTP1
,
ABCB1
,
NQ01
,
CRTC3
,
GPX1
,
SOD2
and
CAT
. The odds ratios of being diagnosed with lung cancer were calculated using conditional logistic regression with respect to serum chromium level and genotypes. The odds ratio for the occurrence of lung cancer increased with increasing serum chromium levels. The difference between the quartiles with the lowest vs. highest chromium level was more than fourfold in the entire group (OR 4.52, CI 2.17–9.42,
p
< 0.01). This correlation was significantly increased by more than twice when specific genotypes were taken into consideration (
ERCC
–rs12181 TT, OR 12.34, CI 1.17–130.01,
p
= 0.04;
CRTC3
–rs12915189 non GG, OR 9.73, CI 1.58–60.10,
p
= 0.01;
GSTP1
–rs1695 non AA, OR 9.47, CI 2.06–43.49,
p
= < 0.01;
CAT
–rs1001179 non CC, OR 9.18, CI 1.64–51.24,
p
= 0.01). Total serum chromium levels > 0.1 μg/L were correlated with 73% (52/71) of lung cancers diagnosed with stage I disease. Our findings support the role of chromium and the influence of key proteins on lung cancer burden in the general population.
There is a need for sensitive and specific biomarkers for the early detection of colorectal cancer. In this retrospective study, we assessed whether a high blood copper level was associated with the ...presence of colorectal cancer. The blood copper level was measured among 187 colorectal cancer patients and 187 matched controls. Cases and controls were matched for sex, smoking status (yes/no) and year of birth. Among the cases, the mean blood copper level was 1031 µg/L (range 657 µg/L to 2043 µg/L) and among the controls, the mean blood copper level was 864 µg/L (range 589 µg/L to 1433 µg/L). The odds ratio for colorectal cancer for those in the highest quartile of copper level (versus the lowest) was 12.7 (95% CI: 4.98–32.3; p < 0.001). Of the patients with stage I–II colon cancer, 62% had a copper level in the highest quartile. A blood copper level in excess of 930 µg/L is associated with an increase in the prevalence of colorectal cancer in the Polish population and its potential use in early detection programs should be considered.
An important group of breast cancers is those associated with inherited susceptibility. In women, several predisposing mutations in genes involved in DNA repair have been discovered. Women with a ...germline pathogenic variant in BRCA1 have a lifetime cancer risk of 70%. As part of a larger prospective study on heavy metals, our aim was to investigate if blood arsenic levels are associated with breast cancer risk among women with inherited BRCA1 mutations. A total of 1084 participants with pathogenic variants in BRCA1 were enrolled in this study. Subjects were followed from 2011 to 2020 (mean follow-up time: 3.75 years). During that time, 90 cancers were diagnosed, including 67 breast and 10 ovarian cancers. The group was stratified into two categories (lower and higher blood As levels), divided at the median (<0.85 µg/L and ≥0.85 µg/L) As level among all unaffected participants. Cox proportional hazards models were used to model the association between As levels and cancer incidence. A high blood As level (≥0.85 µg/L) was associated with a significantly increased risk of developing breast cancer (HR = 2.05; 95%CI: 1.18–3.56; p = 0.01) and of any cancer (HR = 1.73; 95%CI: 1.09–2.74; p = 0.02). These findings suggest a possible role of environmental arsenic in the development of cancers among women with germline pathogenic variants in BRCA1.
•Cadmium level is strong associated with occurrence of the lung cancer.•Blood cadmium level may be valuable marker for early detection of lung cancers.•The assessment of blood cadmium level can help ...with the early detection of lung cancer among former smokers (OR = 16.8).
We assessed whether blood cadmium levels were associated with incident lung cancer and could be used in the context of a screening program for early-stage lung cancer.
We measured blood cadmium levels among 205 lung cancer patients and 205 matched controls. Cases and controls were matched for sex, age and smoking history (total pack-years, years since cessation for former smokers).
The odds ratio for those in the highest quartile of cadmium level (versus lowest) was four-fold (OR = 4.41, 95 % CI:2.01–9.67, p < 0.01). The association was present in former smokers (OR = 16.8, 95 % CI:3.96−71.2, p < 0.01), but not in current smokers (OR = 1.23, 95 % CI: 0.34–4.38) or in never smokers (OR not defined). Among former smokers, the association was present in both early- and late-stage lung cancer.
Blood cadmium levels may be a marker to help with the early detection of lung cancer among former smokers.
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