Mycotoxin Exposure is Associated with Increased Risk of Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma in Huaian Area, China

Overview

Journal BMC Cancer

Publisher Biomed Central

Specialty Oncology

Date 2019 Dec 18

PMID 31842816

Citations 16

Authors

Kathy S Xue

Lili Tang

Guiju Sun

Shaokang Wang

Xu Hu

Jia-Sheng Wang

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Consumption of moldy food has previously been identified as a risk factor for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) in high-risk countries; however, what contributing roles these dietary carcinogenic mycotoxins play in the etiology of ESCC are largely unknown.

Methods: A mycotoxin biomarker-incorporated, population-based case-control study was performed in Huaian area, Jiangsu Province, one of the two high-risk areas in China. Exposure biomarkers of aflatoxins (AF) and fumonisins (FN) were quantitatively analyzed using HPLC-fluorescence techniques.

Results: Among the cases (n = 190), the median levels of AF biomarker, serum AFB-lysine adduct, and FN biomarker, urinary FB, were 1.77 pg/mg albumin and 176.13 pg/mg creatinine, respectively. Among the controls (n = 380), the median levels of AFB-lysine adduct and urinary FB were 1.49 pg/mg albumin and 56.92 pg/mg creatinine, respectively. These mycotoxin exposure biomarker levels were significantly higher in cases as compared to controls (p < 0.05 and 0.01, respectively). An increased risk to ESCC was associated with exposure to both AFB and FB (p < 0.001 for both).

Conclusions: Mycotoxin exposure, especially to AFB and FB, was associated with the risk of ESCC, and a greater-than-additive interaction between co-exposures to these two mycotoxins may contribute to the increased risk of ESCC in Huaian area, China.

Citing Articles

Recent Progress of Mycotoxin in Various Food Products-Human Exposure and Health Risk Assessment.

Li K, Cai H, Luo B, Duan S, Yang J, Zhang N Foods. 2025; 14(5).

PMID: 40077568 PMC: 11898784. DOI: 10.3390/foods14050865.

Multiple mycotoxin exposure assessment through human biomonitoring in an esophageal cancer case-control study in the Arsi-Bale districts of Oromia region of Ethiopia.

Mulisa G, Pero-Gascon R, McCormack V, Bisanz J, Talukdar F, Abebe T Int J Hyg Environ Health. 2024; 263:114466.

PMID: 39306897 PMC: 11635094. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijheh.2024.114466.

Effects of aflatoxin and fumonisin on gene expression of growth factors and inflammation-related genes in a human hepatocyte cell line.

Wu H, Xu Y, Gong Y, Huntriss J, Routledge M Mutagenesis. 2024; 39(3):181-195.

PMID: 38468450 PMC: 11040159. DOI: 10.1093/mutage/geae005.

Overview of Risk Factors for Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma in China.

Conway E, Wu H, Tian L Cancers (Basel). 2023; 15(23).

PMID: 38067307 PMC: 10705141. DOI: 10.3390/cancers15235604.

Mycotoxins in Cereal-Based Products and Their Impacts on the Health of Humans, Livestock Animals and Pets.

Yu J, Pedroso I Toxins (Basel). 2023; 15(8).

PMID: 37624237 PMC: 10467131. DOI: 10.3390/toxins15080480.

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