Multiple Air pollutant exposure and lung cancer in Tehran, Iran

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Lung cancer is the most rapidly increasing malignancy worldwide with an estimated 2.09 million cancer cases in the latest, 2018 World Health Organization (WHO) report. The objective of this study was to investigate the association of air pollution and lung cancer, in Tehran, Iran. METHODS: Residential area information of the latest registered lung cancers cases that were diagnosed between 2014-2016 (N=1,850) were inquired from the population-based cancer registry of Tehran. Long-term exposure to PM10, SO2, NO, NO2, NOX, benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, m-xylene, p-xylene, o-xylene (BTEX), and BTEX in 22 districts of Tehran were estimated using land use regression (LUR) models. Latent profile analysis (LPA) was used to generate multi-pollutant exposure profiles. Negative binomial regression analysis was used to examine the relation between air pollutions and lung cancer incidence. RESULTS:The districts with higher concentrations for all pollutants were mostly in downtown and around the railway. Districts with a higher concentration for NOx (IRR = 1.05), benzene (IRR = 3.86), toluene (IRR =1.50), ethylbenzene (IRR =5.16), p-xylene (IRR =9.41), o-xylene (IRR =7.93), m-xylene (IRR =2.63) and TBTEX (IRR =1.21) were significantly associated with higher lung cancer incidence. Districts with a higher multiple air-pollution profile were also associated with more lung cancer incidence (IRR =1.01). CONCLUSIONS:Our study shows a positive association between air pollution and lung cancer incidence. This association was stronger for p-xylene, o-xylene, ethylbenzene, benzene, m-xylene and TBTEX. KEYWORDS: Air pollution, lung cancer, Iran