title: Exposure to pesticides and prostate cancer: systematic review of the literature.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Investigations about the association between prostate cancer and environmental and/or occupational pesticide exposure have evidenced a possible role of these chemical substances on tumor etiology, related to their action as endocrine disruptors.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess the association between pesticide exposure and prostate cancer by conducting a systematic review of the scientific literature.
  
  
  METHODS
  Articles published until August 18, 2015 were searched in the databases MEDLINE/Pubmed, Scielo, and Lilacs using the keywords "pesticides" and "prostate cancer". Only the analytical observational studies whose methodological quality met the criteria established by the New Castle-Ottawa scale were included in this review.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The review included 49 studies published between 1993 and 2015. All studies were in English and analyzed exposure to pesticides and/or agricultural activities. Most studies (32 articles) found a positive association between prostate cancer and pesticides or agricultural occupations, with estimates ranging from 1.01 to 14.10.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The evidence provided by the reviewed studies indicates a possible association between the development of prostate cancer and pesticide exposure and/or agricultural occupations.
authors.forename: João F S
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: Inês E
authors.initials: IE
authors.lastname: Mattos
authors.forename: Laércio L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Luz
authors.forename: Cleber N
authors.initials: CN
authors.lastname: Carmo
authors.forename: Ricardo D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Aydos
mesh_terms: D000383:Agriculture; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D064887:Observational Studies as Topic; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects; D010575:Pesticides / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D010575:Pesticides