Serum cadmium levels in pancreatic cancer patients from the East Nile Delta region of Egypt.
The northeast Nile Delta region exhibits a high incidence of early-onset pancreatic cancer. It is well documented that this region has one of the highest levels of pollution in Egypt. Epidemiologic studies have suggested that cadmium, a prevalent pollutant in the northeast Nile Delta region, plays a role in the development of pancreatic cancer.


OBJECTIVE
We aimed to assess serum cadmium levels as markers of exposure in pancreatic cancer patients and noncancer comparison subjects from the same region in Egypt.


METHODS
We assessed serum cadmium levels of 31 newly diagnosed pancreatic cancer patients and 52 hospital comparison subjects from Mansoura, Egypt. EVALUATION/MEASUREMENTS: Serum cadmium levels were measured using a novel immunoassay procedure.


RESULTS
We found a significant difference between the mean serum cadmium levels in patients versus comparison subjects (mean+/-SD, 11.1+/-7.7 ng/mL vs. 7.1+/-5.0 ng/mL, respectively; p=0.012) but not in age, sex, residence, occupation, or smoking status. The odds ratio (OR) for pancreatic cancer risk was significant for serum cadmium level [OR=1.12; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.04-1.23; p=0.0089] and farming (OR=3.25; 95% CI, 1.03-11.64; p=0.0475) but not for age, sex, residence, or smoking status.


CONCLUSIONS
The results from this pilot study suggest that pancreatic cancer in the East Nile Delta region is significantly associated with high levels of serum cadmium and farming. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE/PUBLIC HEALTH: Future studies should further investigate the etiologic relationship between cadmium exposure and pancreatic carcinogenesis in cadmium-exposed populations.
Kriegel
Alison M
AM
Department of Biochemistry, Tulane University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.
Soliman
Amr S
AS
Zhang
Qing
Q
El-Ghawalby
Nabih
N
Ezzat
Farouk
F
Soultan
Ahmed
A
Abdel-Wahab
Mohamed
M
Fathy
Omar
O
Ebidi
Gamal
G
Bassiouni
Nadia
N
Hamilton
Stanley R
SR
Abbruzzese
James L
JL
Lacey
Michelle R
MR
Blake
Diane A
DA
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000383:Agriculture; D002104:Cadmium / Q000097:blood*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004534:Egypt / Q000453:epidemiology; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D012307:Risk Factors
D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D002104:Cadmium