Adipose tissue concentrations of p,p′-DDE and the risk for endometrial cancer

Abstract

Objective To evaluate in a case-control study possible risk of endometrial cancer associated with environmental endocrine disruptors. Methods We analyzed the adipose tissue concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls, hexachlorobenzene (HCB), p,p′-dichlorodiphenyl-dichloroethylene ( p,p′-DDE), chlordanes, and polybrominated biphenyls in 76 cases with endometrial cancer and 39 controls with benign endometrial hyperplasia. Results For the different chemicals, odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were close to unity taking the median concentration among the controls as cutoff value. However, for p,p′-DDE OR = 1.9, 95% CI = 0.8–4.8 was obtained. Additional estrogen replacement therapy yielded in this category OR = 2.3, 95% CI = 0.6–8.6. Conclusion The results suggest an interaction between p,p′-DDE and estrogen replacement drugs in the etiology of endometrial cancer, although no significant associations were found.