Micro- and nanoplastic exposure and cancer: current evidence, mechanistic pathways, and translational challenges

Microplastics and nanoplastics are emerging contaminants widely detected in water, soil, air, food, and a range of human biological samples. Their potential implications for cancer biology have recently attracted growing interest at the interface of environmental health, toxicology, and oncology. Available evidence suggests that micro- and nanoplastic exposure may be associated with several solid tumors and certain hematological malignancies, and may influence tumor-related processes through oxidative stress, chronic inflammation, DNA damage and repair dysregulation, microbiota disturbance, metabolic reprogramming, and alterations in the immune microenvironment. However, the current evidence base remains limited and heterogeneous, relying predominantly on in vitro experiments, animal studies, and small-scale analyses of human tissues or biospecimens. Direct evidence supporting an independent causal role in human tumor initiation and progression is still insufficient. Interpretation is further complicated by major discrepancies between engineered particles commonly used in laboratory studies and environmentally relevant particles encountered in real-world exposure settings, which are typically aged, heterogeneous, and associated with adsorbed chemicals and co-contaminants. In this review, we summarize current knowledge on environmental occurrence and human exposure to micro- and nanoplastics, critically examine their reported associations with different tumor types, synthesize the principal mechanistic pathways implicated in cancer-related effects, and discuss the major methodological limitations and translational barriers in this field. Overall, current evidence supports a cautious model in which micro- and nanoplastics may modify, rather than independently cause, tumor biology by linking cellular stress and inflammatory-immune, microbial, and metabolic alterations to tumor initiation, progression, metastatic potential, treatment resistance, and outcome-related associations.