Associations of accumulated persistent organic pollutants in breast adipose tissue with the evolution of breast cancer after surgery

Abstract

Chronic exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) is suspected to contribute to the onset of breast cancer, but the impact on the evolution of patients after diagnosis is unclear. We aimed to analyze the contribution of long-term exposure to five POPs to overall mortality, cancer recurrence, metastasis, and development of second primary tumors over a global follow-up of 10 years after surgery in breast cancer patients in a cohort study. Between 2012 and 2014, a total of 112 newly diagnosed breast cancer patients were recruited from a public hospital in Granada, Southern Spain.Historical exposure to POPs was estimated by analyzing their concentrations in breast adipose tissue samples. Sociodemographic data were collected through face-to-face interviews, while data on evolution tumor were retrieved from clinical records. Statistical analyses were performed using Cox regression (overall survival, breast cancer recurrence or metastasis) and binary logistic regression models (joint outcome variable). We also tested for statistical interactions of POPs with age, residence, and prognostic markers. The third vs first tertile of hexachlorobenzene concentrations was associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality (Hazard Ratio, HR = 0.26; 95 % Confidence Interval, CI = 0.07–0.92) and of the appearance of any of the four events (Odds Ratio = 0.37; 95 % CI = 0.14–1.03). Polychlorinated biphenyl 138 concentrations were significantly and inversely associated with risk of metastasis (HR = 0.65; 95 % CI = 0.44–0.97) and tumor recurrence (HR = 0.69; 95 % CI = 0.49–0.98). Additionally, p,p′-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene showed inverse associations with risk of metastasis in women with ER-positive tumors (HR = 0.49; 95 % CI = 0.25–0.93) and in those with a tumor size <2.0 cm (HR = 0.39; 95 % CI = 0.18–0.87). The observed paradoxical inverse associations of POP exposure with breast cancer evolution might be related to either a better prognosis of hormone-dependent tumors, which have an approachable pharmacological target, or an effect of sequestration of circulating POPs by adipose tissue.