Abstract

Background: Both polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) and organochlorine pesticides (OCP) have been associated with thyroid hormone disruption, but their relationship to thyroid cancer is not known. Methods: We investigated the relationship between serum PCB and OCP concentrations and papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) in 250 incident female PTC cases and 250 female controls frequency-matched on age, all residing in Connecticut. Interviews and serum samples were collected from 2010-2013. Samples were analyzed for 32 different chemicals using gas chromatography with isotope dilution high resolution mass spectrometry. We calculated odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) using single pollutant logistic regression models for concentrations (per interquartile range) of individual PCB/OCP and summed groups of structurally or biologically similar PCB/OCP, adjusted for education, family history of cancer, alcohol consumption, and body mass index. Sub-analyses included stratification by tumor size (<=1 cm and >1 cm) and birth cohort (born before or in 1960 and born after 1960). We also applied three multi-pollutant approaches (standard multi-pollutant regression, hierarchical Bayesian modeling, principal components regression analysis) to investigate associations with exposures to multiple PCB/OCPs. Results: No PCB/OCPs were positively associated with PTC risk in primary analyses. Statistically significant associations were observed for 9 of the 32 chemicals and 3 summed groups of similar chemicals in the younger birth cohort based on single-pollutant models. Multi-pollutant analyses suggested null associations overall. Conclusions: Our results using single and multi-pollutant modeling do not generally support an association between PCB or OCP exposure and PTC risk, but some associations in the younger birth cohort suggest that additional investigation into early-life exposures and subsequent thyroid cancer risk may be warranted.

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