Association of Air Pollution with Postmenopausal Breast Cancer Risk in UK Biobank

Overview

Journal Breast Cancer Res

Specialty Oncology

Date 2023 Jul 13

PMID 37443054

Authors

Carmen Smotherman

Brian Sprague

Susmita Datta

Dejana Braithwaite

Huaizhen Qin

Lusine Yaghjyan

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: We investigated the association of several air pollution measures with postmenopausal breast cancer (BCa) risk.

Methods: This study included 155,235 postmenopausal women (of which 6146 with BCa) from UK Biobank. Cancer diagnoses were ascertained through the linkage to the UK National Health Service Central Registers. Annual exposure averages were available from 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2010 for NO, from 2007 and 2010 for PM, and from 2010 for PM, NO, PM and PM absorbance. Information on BCa risk factors was collected at baseline. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to evaluate the associations of year-specific and cumulative average exposures with BCa risk, overall and with 2-year exposure lag, while adjusting for BCa risk factors.

Results: PM in 2007 and cumulative average PM were positively associated with BCa risk (2007 PM: Hazard ratio [HR] per 10 µg/m = 1.18, 95% CI 1.08, 1.29; cumulative average PM: HR per 10 µg/m = 1.99, 95% CI 1.75, 2.27). Compared to women with low exposure, women with higher 2007 PM and cumulative average PM had greater BCa risk (4th vs. 1st quartile HR = 1.15, 95% CI 1.07, 1.24, p-trend = 0.001 and HR = 1.35, 95% CI 1.25, 1.44, p-trend < 0.0001, respectively). No significant associations were found for any other exposure measures. In the analysis with 2-year exposure lag, both 2007 PM 10 and cumulative average PM10 were positively associated with BCa risk (4th vs. 1st quartile HR = 1.19, 95% CI 1.10, 1.28 and HR = 1.29, 95% CI 1.19, 1.39, respectively).

Conclusion: Our findings suggest a positive association of 2007 PM and cumulative average PM with postmenopausal BCa risk.

Citing Articles

Dioxins do not only bind to AHR but also team up with EGFR at the cell-surface: a novel mode of action of toxicological relevance?.

Sondermann N, Vogel C, Haarmann-Stemmann T EXCLI J. 2025; 24:184-197.

PMID: 39996234 PMC: 11847957. DOI: 10.17179/excli2024-8038.

Interaction of breast cancer-relevant DNA repair genes and air pollution in relation to breast cancer risk in UK biobank.

Smotherman C, Sprague B, Braithwaite D, Yaghjyan L Am J Cancer Res. 2025; 14(12):5935-5951.

PMID: 39803660 PMC: 11711532. DOI: 10.62347/WNIY6250.

Factors Associated with Abnormal Mammogram Results Among Low-Income Uninsured Populations in Medically Underserved And Rural Texas Regions.

Chen W, Brandford A, Bloom R, Han G, Horel S, Sanchez M Womens Health Rep (New Rochelle). 2024; 5(1):613-623.

PMID: 39391788 PMC: 11462426. DOI: 10.1089/whr.2024.0048.

Exposure to ambient polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and early-onset female breast cancer in a case-control study in Ontario, Canada.

Waddingham C, Hinton P, Villeneuve P, Brook J, Lavigne E, Larsen K Environ Epidemiol. 2024; 8(5):e333.

PMID: 39386012 PMC: 11463212. DOI: 10.1097/EE9.0000000000000333.

Air Pollution and Breast Cancer Incidence in the Multiethnic Cohort Study.

Wu A, Wu J, Tseng C, Stram D, Shariff-Marco S, Larson T J Clin Oncol. 2024; 43(3):273-284.

PMID: 39378392 PMC: 11735325. DOI: 10.1200/JCO.24.00418.

References

Lopez-Espinosa M, Kiviranta H, Araque P, Ruokojarvi P, Molina-Molina J, Fernandez M . Dioxins in adipose tissue of women in Southern Spain. Chemosphere. 2008; 73(6):967-71. DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2008.06.039. View

Demers A, Ayotte P, Brisson J, Dodin S, Robert J, Dewailly E . Plasma concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls and the risk of breast cancer: a congener-specific analysis. Am J Epidemiol. 2002; 155(7):629-35. DOI: 10.1093/aje/155.7.629. View

Byrne C, Divekar S, Storchan G, Parodi D, Martin M . Metals and breast cancer. J Mammary Gland Biol Neoplasia. 2013; 18(1):63-73. PMC: 4017651. DOI: 10.1007/s10911-013-9273-9. View

Esquivel-Velazquez M, Ostoa-Saloma P, Palacios-Arreola M, Nava-Castro K, Castro J, Morales-Montor J . The role of cytokines in breast cancer development and progression. J Interferon Cytokine Res. 2014; 35(1):1-16. PMC: 4291218. DOI: 10.1089/jir.2014.0026. View

Dibben C, Clemens T . Place of work and residential exposure to ambient air pollution and birth outcomes in Scotland, using geographically fine pollution climate mapping estimates. Environ Res. 2015; 140:535-41. PMC: 4509782. DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2015.05.010. View

Xu X, Jiang S, Wang T, Bai Y, Zhong M, Wang A . Inflammatory response to fine particulate air pollution exposure: neutrophil versus monocyte. PLoS One. 2013; 8(8):e71414. PMC: 3738512. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0071414. View

Bai L, Shin S, Burnett R, Kwong J, Hystad P, van Donkelaar A . Exposure to ambient air pollution and the incidence of lung cancer and breast cancer in the Ontario Population Health and Environment Cohort. Int J Cancer. 2019; 146(9):2450-2459. DOI: 10.1002/ijc.32575. View

Wei Y, Davis J, Bina W . Ambient air pollution is associated with the increased incidence of breast cancer in US. Int J Environ Health Res. 2011; 22(1):12-21. DOI: 10.1080/09603123.2011.588321. View

Callahan C, Bonner M, Nie J, Han D, Wang Y, Tao M . Lifetime exposure to ambient air pollution and methylation of tumor suppressor genes in breast tumors. Environ Res. 2017; 161:418-424. PMC: 5747980. DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2017.11.040. View

10.

Pope 3rd C, Bhatnagar A, McCracken J, Abplanalp W, Conklin D, OToole T . Exposure to Fine Particulate Air Pollution Is Associated With Endothelial Injury and Systemic Inflammation. Circ Res. 2016; 119(11):1204-1214. PMC: 5215745. DOI: 10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.116.309279. View

11.

Khanjani N, Jafarnejad A, Tavakkoli L . Arsenic and breast cancer: a systematic review of epidemiologic studies. Rev Environ Health. 2017; 32(3):267-277. DOI: 10.1515/reveh-2016-0068. View

12.

Hart J, Bertrand K, DuPre N, James P, Vieira V, Tamimi R . Long-term Particulate Matter Exposures during Adulthood and Risk of Breast Cancer Incidence in the Nurses' Health Study II Prospective Cohort. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2016; 25(8):1274-6. PMC: 4970922. DOI: 10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-16-0246. View

13.

Eeftens M, Beelen R, de Hoogh K, Bellander T, Cesaroni G, Cirach M . Development of Land Use Regression models for PM(2.5), PM(2.5) absorbance, PM(10) and PM(coarse) in 20 European study areas; results of the ESCAPE project. Environ Sci Technol. 2012; 46(20):11195-205. DOI: 10.1021/es301948k. View

14.

Pedersen M, Andersen Z, Stafoggia M, Weinmayr G, Galassi C, Sorensen M . Ambient air pollution and primary liver cancer incidence in four European cohorts within the ESCAPE project. Environ Res. 2017; 154:226-233. DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2017.01.006. View

15.

Cicalese L, Curcuru G, Montalbano M, Shirafkan A, Georgiadis J, Rastellini C . Hazardous air pollutants and primary liver cancer in Texas. PLoS One. 2017; 12(10):e0185610. PMC: 5634561. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0185610. View

16.

Brody J, Rudel R, Michels K, Moysich K, Bernstein L, Attfield K . Environmental pollutants, diet, physical activity, body size, and breast cancer: where do we stand in research to identify opportunities for prevention?. Cancer. 2007; 109(12 Suppl):2627-34. DOI: 10.1002/cncr.22656. View

17.

Cheng I, Tseng C, Wu J, Yang J, Conroy S, Shariff-Marco S . Association between ambient air pollution and breast cancer risk: The multiethnic cohort study. Int J Cancer. 2019; 146(3):699-711. PMC: 6765455. DOI: 10.1002/ijc.32308. View

18.

Andreeva V, Unger J, Pentz M . Breast cancer among immigrants: a systematic review and new research directions. J Immigr Minor Health. 2007; 9(4):307-22. DOI: 10.1007/s10903-007-9037-y. View

19.

White A, Keller J, Zhao S, Carroll R, Kaufman J, Sandler D . Air Pollution, Clustering of Particulate Matter Components, and Breast Cancer in the Sister Study: A U.S.-Wide Cohort. Environ Health Perspect. 2019; 127(10):107002. PMC: 6867190. DOI: 10.1289/EHP5131. View

20.

Iavicoli I, Fontana L, Bergamaschi A . The effects of metals as endocrine disruptors. J Toxicol Environ Health B Crit Rev. 2009; 12(3):206-23. DOI: 10.1080/10937400902902062. View