Abstract
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are human carcinogens, based on sufficient evidence for melanoma and limited evidence for non-Hodgkin lymphoma and breast cancer. Few data are available for liver cancer, although PCBs cause it in rats and determined liver damage in poisoned people. We investigated the association between PCB serum levels and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with a case–control study in a PCB-polluted area in North Italy. We enrolled prospectively 102 HCC incident cases and 102 age and gender-matched hospital controls. Serum concentrations of 33 PCB congeners were determined by a gas chromatograph coupled to mass spectrometry. Of 102 HCC cases, 62 who had lost < 3 kg of body weight in past 3 years were included in the analysis (67.7% males, mean age 68 years). The odds ratio (OR) for HCC for 3rd compared to 1st tertile of PCB distribution was 1.76 (95% confidence interval 0.62–5.03) for total PCB, adjusting for socio-demographic variables and risk factors for HCC by logistic regression. For most PCB congeners, ORs > 1.5 or 2 were found, although the 95% CIs included the null value for almost all of them. This preliminary study suggests that PCBs might play a role in HCC development.
Highlights
Silvia Ministrini3, Giovanni Battista Contessi4, Silvia Pesenti4, Giuseppe De Palma5,6, Alice Gaia6, Elena Zanardini2, Claudio Vito Sileo7 & Michele Magoni7
Among the 40 hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cases with recent weight loss, no relationship was found between either quantity of, or time at, weight loss and Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) serum levels
Since HCC cases with recent weight loss may have higher PCB serum levels due to their release from lipid deposits into the blood, they were excluded from the analysis, which was restricted to 62 HCC cases
Summary
Few data are available for liver cancer, PCBs cause it in rats and determined liver damage in poisoned people. Serum concentrations of 33 PCB congeners were determined by a gas chromatograph coupled to mass spectrometry. CIs included the null value for almost all of them. This preliminary study suggests that PCBs might play a role in HCC development. PCBs are included among the persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and accumulate in soil, plants and animals and along the food chain. Experimental studies on animals and epidemiological studies on humans have demonstrated an association between PCBs and metabolic and endocrine diseases, damage to nervous systems and development and immunological and reproductive d
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