Serum levels of beta-hexachlorocyclohexane, hexachlorobenzene and polychlorinated biphenyls and breast cancer in Mexican women.
Information on the association between exposure to beta-hexachlorocyclohexane (beta-HCH), hexachlorobenzene (HCB) or polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and the incidence of breast cancer is inconclusive. However, exposure to such compounds is a public health concern in Mexico and is subject to recent regulation. Serum levels of beta-HCH, HCB and PCBs were analysed in 95 histologically confirmed breast cancer cases and 95 hospital controls, 20-79 years of age, from Mexico City, enrolled between March 1994 and April 1996. After adjusting for established risk factors, there was no evidence of a relationship between beta-HCH, HCB and PCBs and breast cancer risk (OR for beta-HCH tertile 3 versus tertile 1: 1.05 95% CI 0.46-2.40; OR for HCB tertile 3 versus tertile 1: 0.46 95% CI 0.20-1.07; OR for PCBs 1.31 95% CI 0.33-5.21 for the high category of exposure). This study lends no support to the case for a role for beta-HCH, HCB or PCBs in breast cancer aetiology.
López-Carrillo
L
L
National Institute of Public Health, Mexico Secretariat of Health, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico. lizbeth@insp3.insp.mx
López-Cervantes
M
M
Torres-Sánchez
L
L
Blair
A
A
Cebrián
M E
ME
García
R M
RM
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D005260:Female; D006581:Hexachlorobenzene / Q000097:blood*; D001556:Hexachlorocyclohexane / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D008800:Mexico / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000097:blood*; D012306:Risk
D006581:Hexachlorobenzene; D001556:Hexachlorocyclohexane; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls; C023888:beta-hexachlorocyclohexane