title: Plasma organochlorine levels and prostate cancer risk.
abstract: A case-control study was conducted to determine the association between plasma organochlorine levels and prostate cancer risk. Male clinic patients scheduled for prostate core biopsy or seeing their urologist for other conditions from 1997 through 1999 in Kingston, Ontario were eligible, excluding those with an earlier cancer. Age frequency matched controls (n=329) were compared with 79 incident prostate cancer cases. Before knowledge of diagnosis, the patients completed a questionnaire and donated 15 ml of blood for the measurement of 14 PCBs, and 13 organochlorine pesticides by gas chromatography. At least 70% of patients had detectable levels of nine PCB congeners and seven pesticides, and these chemicals were included in the risk analysis adjusted for total lipids. Geometric means for these PCB congeners, total PCBs, and p,p'-DDE are slightly lower for cases than controls, whereas the levels of p,p'-DDT and other pesticides are virtually equal. Adjusting for age and other confounders in multivariable logistic regression, odds ratios (ORs) are consistently below 1.0 for PCB congeners and total PCBs. For pesticides, most ORs are very close to the null. This study suggests that long-term low-level exposure to organochlorine pesticides and PCBs in the general population does not contribute to increased prostate cancer risk.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cancer Care and Epidemiology, Department of Community Health and Epidemiology, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario K7L3N6, Canada. aronson@queensu.ca
authors.forename: Kristan J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Aronson
authors.forename: James W L
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: Meghan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hamel
authors.forename: Wienta
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Diarsvitri
authors.forename: Wenli
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.forename: Christy
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Woolcott
authors.forename: Jeremy P W
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Heaton
authors.forename: J Curtis
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Nickel
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Macneily
authors.forename: Alvara
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Morales
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002849:Chromatography, Gas; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D006801:Humans; D006843:Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000097:blood*; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D016017:Odds Ratio; D009864:Ontario; D010575:Pesticides / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000097:blood*; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000097:blood*; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000139:chemically induced*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D006843:Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated; D010575:Pesticides; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls