title: Exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls and hexachlorobenzene, semen quality and testicular cancer risk.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We carried out a case-control study to investigate the possible role of occupational and environmental exposure to endocrine disruptors in the onset of testicular cancer (TC).
  
  
  METHODS
  We evaluated 125 TC patients and 103 controls. Seminal fluid examination and organochlorine analysis were performed in all subjects. Cases and controls were also interviewed using a structured questionnaire to collect demographic information, residence, andrological medical history and dietary information.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found that a higher level of reproductive tract birth defects was associated with a higher risk of TC. With regard to diet, cases reported a higher consumption of milk and dairy products than controls. Overall, there was a statistically significant increase in TC risk in cases with detectable values of total polychlorinated organic compounds against controls (14.4 vs. 1.0 %; p < 0.001). TC patients with detectable levels of organochlorines had lower mean semen parameters than those with undetectable levels, although this difference was not statistically significant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The International Agency for Research on Cancer recently included dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in Group 1 of known human carcinogens. Our study confirmed and identified various risk factors for testicular cancer: cryptorchidism, consumption of milk and dairy products, parents' occupation and serum concentration of hexachlorobenzene and PCBs and, for the first time, we showed the correlation between semen quality and the serum concentration of these pollutants.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Seminology-Sperm Bank, Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Rome "La Sapienza", Viale del Policlinico 155, 00161, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Paoli
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Seminology-Sperm Bank, Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Rome "La Sapienza", Viale del Policlinico 155, 00161, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Giannandrea
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Seminology-Sperm Bank, Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Rome "La Sapienza", Viale del Policlinico 155, 00161, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gallo
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Environmental and Toxicological Testing, Salvatore Maugeri Foundation, Pavia, Italy.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Turci
authors.affiliation: Department Public Health and Infection Disease, "La Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Cattaruzza
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Seminology-Sperm Bank, Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Rome "La Sapienza", Viale del Policlinico 155, 00161, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lombardo
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Seminology-Sperm Bank, Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Rome "La Sapienza", Viale del Policlinico 155, 00161, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lenzi
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Seminology-Sperm Bank, Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Rome "La Sapienza", Viale del Policlinico 155, 00161, Rome, Italy. loredana.gandini@uniroma1.it.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gandini
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003456:Cryptorchidism / Q000150:complications*; D003611:Dairy Products / Q000009:adverse effects*; D052244:Endocrine Disruptors / Q000097:blood*; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D006581:Hexachlorobenzene / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016273:Occupational Exposure; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000097:blood*; D012307:Risk Factors; D055101:Semen Analysis; D013736:Testicular Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000209:etiology
chemical_list: D052244:Endocrine Disruptors; D006581:Hexachlorobenzene; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls
keywords: Environmental exposure; Hexachlorobenzene; Polychlorinated biphenyls; Semen quality; Testicular cancer