Case–control study of PCBs, other organochlorines and breast cancer.pdf

Journal of Exposure Analysis and Environmental Epidemiology (2003) 13, 267–275 r 2003 Nature Publishing Group All rights reserved 1053-4245/03/$25.00 /jea Case–control study of PCBs, other organochlorines and breast cancer in Eastern Slovakia MARIAN PAVUK,a JAMES R. CERHAN,b CHARLES F. LYNCH,c ANTON KOCAN,d JAN PETRIK,d AND JANA CHOVANCOVAd a University of Texas School of Public Health, Dallas, Regional Campus, Dallas Texas, USA bHealth Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, USA cDepartment of Epidemiology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, USA dNational Reference Center for Dioxins and Related Compounds, Institute of Preventive and Clinical Medicine, Bratislava, Slovakia This case–control study was designed t oinvestigate association between polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and risk of breast cancer in an area of high environmental exposure in the Michalovce district of eastern Slovakia. Incident breast cancer cases from the Michalovce district diagnosed between May 0 -bis(4- 1997 and May 1999 were recruited through the Oncology Department of the District Hospital. A total of 15 individual PCB congeners, 2,2 chlorophenyl)-1,1-dichloroethylene (DDE), 2,2-bis(4-chlorophenyl)-1,1,1-trichloroethane (DDT), and hexachlorobenzene (HCB) were measured in the serum of 24 breast cancer patients and 88 population controls in 1998–1999. The median levels of total PCBs were similar in cases (2586 ng/g of lipid) and controls (2682 ng/g of lipid). Higher serum levels (highest vs. lowest tertile) of total PCBs (odds rati o(OR) ¼ 0.42, 95% CI 0.10–1.82, p