Association between pesticide exposure and breast cancer risk: a two-sample Mendelian randomization study

Several observational studies have suggested a link between pesticide exposure and breast cancer, but the causal relationship remains debated.

This study employed a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) approach to explore the potential causal link between pesticide exposure and breast cancer risk. Genetic instruments for pesticide exposure were identified from a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of 88,141 participants. Breast cancer data was sourced from the Breast Cancer Association Consortium. The primary MR analysis was conducted using the Inverse Variance Weighted (IVW) method, supplemented with additional sensitivity analyses to ensure result validity.

The IVW analysis demonstrated strong statistical evidence supporting a causal relationship between pesticide exposure and breast cancer risk (Overall breast cancer: OR = 3.213, 95% CI = 1.326-7.785, p = 0.010; ER + breast cancer: OR = 3.963, 95% CI = 1.258-12.480, p = 0.019; ER - breast cancer: OR = 6.886, 95% CI = 1.490-31.825, p = 0.013). These findings were reinforced by two additional MR analysis methods and further sensitivity testing.

The findings from this MR study suggest that pesticide exposure may contribute to an increased risk of breast cancer.