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National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

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Your Environment. Your Health.

Publication Detail

Title: Risk of total and aggressive prostate cancer and pesticide use in the Agricultural Health Study.

Authors: Koutros, Stella; Beane Freeman, Laura E; Lubin, Jay H; Heltshe, Sonya L; Andreotti, Gabriella; Barry, Kathryn Hughes; DellaValle, Curt T; Hoppin, Jane A; Sandler, Dale P; Lynch, Charles F; Blair, Aaron; Alavanja, Michael C R

Published In Am J Epidemiol, (2013 Jan 01)

Abstract: Because pesticides may operate through different mechanisms, the authors studied the risk of prostate cancer associated with specific pesticides in the Agricultural Health Study (1993-2007). With 1,962 incident cases, including 919 aggressive prostate cancers among 54,412 applicators, this is the largest study to date. Rate ratios and 95% confidence intervals were calculated by using Poisson regression to evaluate lifetime use of 48 pesticides and prostate cancer incidence. Three organophosphate insecticides were significantly associated with aggressive prostate cancer: fonofos (rate ratio (RR) for the highest quartile of exposure (Q4) vs. nonexposed = 1.63, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.22, 2.17; P(trend) < 0.001); malathion (RR for Q4 vs. nonexposed = 1.43, 95% CI: 1.08, 1.88; P(trend) = 0.04); and terbufos (RR for Q4 vs. nonexposed = 1.29, 95% CI: 1.02, 1.64; P(trend) = 0.03). The organochlorine insecticide aldrin was also associated with increased risk of aggressive prostate cancer (RR for Q4 vs. nonexposed = 1.49, 95% CI: 1.03, 2.18; P(trend) = 0.02). This analysis has overcome several limitations of previous studies with the inclusion of a large number of cases with relevant exposure and detailed information on use of specific pesticides at 2 points in time. Furthermore, this is the first time specific pesticides are implicated as risk factors for aggressive prostate cancer.

PubMed ID: 23171882 Exiting the NIEHS site

MeSH Terms: No MeSH terms associated with this publication

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