Breast cancer and serum organochlorine residues.
BACKGROUND
Controversy still exists about the breast carcinogenic properties in humans of environmental xenoestrogens (organochlorines), justifying new investigations.


OBJECTIVE
To compare the blood levels of total dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and hexachlorobenzene (HCB) in samples collected at the time of breast cancer discovery, in order to avoid the potential consequences of body weight change (after chemotherapy or radiotherapy) on the pesticide residue levels.


METHODS
Blood levels of HCB and total DDT (we calculated total DDT concentrations by adding all DDT and DDE isomers) were compared in 159 women with breast cancer and 250 presumably healthy controls. Risk of breast cancer associated with organochlorine concentration was evaluated.


RESULTS
Mean levels of total DDT and HCB were significantly higher for breast cancer patients than for controls. No differences in serum levels of total DDT or HCB were found between oestrogen receptor positive and oestrogen receptor negative patients with breast cancer.


CONCLUSIONS
These results add to the growing evidence that certain persistent pollutants may occur in higher concentrations in blood samples from breast cancer patients than controls.
Charlier
C
C
Clinical Toxicology Laboratory, Sart Tilman University Hospital, University of Liege, 4000 Liege, Belgium. C.CHARLIER@chu.ulg.ac.be
Albert
A
A
Herman
P
P
Hamoir
E
E
Gaspard
U
U
Meurisse
M
M
Plomteux
G
G
D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000139:chemically induced*; D003634:DDT / Q000009:adverse effects; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D005260:Female; D006581:Hexachlorobenzene / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D007306:Insecticides / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000097:blood; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors
D007306:Insecticides; D006581:Hexachlorobenzene; D003634:DDT