Associations between urinary parabens and lung cancer

Area of Science:

• Environmental Health
• Toxicology
• Oncology

Background:

• Parabens are endocrine-disrupting chemicals.
• Environmental estrogens are implicated in lung cancer development.
• The link between paraben exposure and lung cancer risk is not well-established.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between urinary paraben concentrations and lung cancer risk.
• To analyze the relationship between specific parabens, methyl-paraben (MeP) and propyl-paraben (PrP), and lung cancer.
• To explore potential dose-response relationships in a Chinese population.

Main Methods:

• A case-control study involving 189 lung cancer cases and 198 controls in Quzhou, China (2018-2021).
• Measurement of five urinary paraben concentrations.
• Statistical analysis, including adjusted odds ratios (OR) and trend tests, to assess the association between paraben levels and lung cancer risk.

Main Results:

• Cases exhibited significantly higher median urinary concentrations of MeP, ethyl-paraben, propyl-paraben (PrP), and butyl-paraben compared to controls.
• Urinary PrP concentrations showed a significant positive correlation with lung cancer risk (OR_adjusted = 2.22).
• Higher quartiles of urinary MeP and PrP were significantly associated with increased lung cancer risk, with notable trend P-values.

Conclusions:

• Urinary concentrations of MeP and PrP are positively associated with an increased risk of lung cancer in adults.
• Paraben exposure, as indicated by urinary levels, may be a contributing factor to lung cancer development.
• Further research is warranted to elucidate the mechanisms linking paraben exposure to lung cancer.