Occupational exposure to metals and prostate cancer: CAPLIFE study

Area of Science:

• Environmental Health
• Occupational Medicine
• Oncology

Background:

• Limited research exists on occupational metal exposure and prostate cancer (PCa).
• Previous studies often overlooked combined metal effects and tumor characteristics like aggressiveness and stage.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the individual and joint effects of occupational metal exposure on PCa risk.
• To analyze these associations considering tumor aggressiveness (ISUP grade) and stage (localized, locally advanced, metastatic).

Main Methods:

• A case-control study (CAPLIFE) involving 464 PCa cases and 428 controls.
• Lifetime occupational exposure to chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni), iron (Fe), and lead (Pb) estimated using the Spanish job-exposure matrix (MatEmESp).
• Statistical analyses included multivariable logistic regression and Quantile g-Computation, stratified by tumor characteristics.

Main Results:

• No association found between individual metal exposure and overall PCa or by ISUP grade.
• Higher odds of locally advanced or metastatic PCa linked to Cr, Ni, and Fe exposure.
• Nickel exposure showed the strongest association with advanced tumors (aORs ranging from 1.99 to 3.58).
• Combined metal mixture exposure was associated with locally advanced/metastatic PCa (aOR=1.41), with Ni contributing positively.

Conclusions:

• Occupational exposure to Cr, Ni, and Fe, and their combined effects, are associated with increased odds of locally advanced or metastatic PCa.
• No link observed for overall PCa risk or by ISUP grade.
• Findings suggest potential benefits of reducing occupational metal exposure, though caution is advised due to exposure estimation methods.