A groundbreaking study has revealed a concerning connection between air pollution and the severity of breast cancer, shedding light on how our environment could be affecting our health in profound ways.
Researchers analyzed data from over a thousand breast cancer patients diagnosed between 2008 and 2016, focusing on how exposure to common air pollutants—like smog, vehicle emissions, and industrial byproducts—might influence the stage of cancer at diagnosis.
This study, published in Nature, explored the relationship between air pollution and the severity of breast cancer (BC) in Tehran, Iran, by analyzing data from 1,148 BC cases diagnosed between 2008 and 2016.
Researchers looked at a variety of air pollutants, including particulate matter (PM10), sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NO, NO2, NOX), benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX), to see how these might affect the stage of breast cancer at diagnosis. The analysis used land use regression models to estimate pollutant exposure and employed multinomial logistic regression models to assess the association between pollutants and BC stage.
The study found significant associations between specific pollutants and increased odds of being diagnosed with more advanced stages of breast cancer. Increases in ethylbenzene, o-xylene, m-xylene, and NO levels were linked to higher odds of early-stage (stage I) breast cancer, while benzene and o-xylene were associated with higher odds of more advanced disease (stages III & IV).
Furthermore, women under 50 years old living in areas with high levels of multiple pollutants had higher odds of being diagnosed with stage I breast cancer.
The research also highlighted that women living in lower socioeconomic status (SES) areas were more likely to be diagnosed with advanced stages of breast cancer, suggesting that both air pollution and SES are important factors in the severity of BC at diagnosis.
This is one of the first studies to examine the combined effect of single and multiple air pollutants on the severity of breast cancer, providing evidence that exposure to air pollution is associated with a higher stage of BC at diagnosis, particularly in women under the age of pre-menopause.
The study’s findings underscore the significance of air quality on public health, especially for vulnerable populations such as women at risk for breast cancer.
By identifying air pollutants like NO, ethylbenzene, o-xylene, m-xylene, and benzene as factors associated with increased breast cancer severity, it suggests that improving air quality could potentially reduce the risk of being diagnosed with more advanced breast cancer.
The study also sheds light on the need for more research in developing countries to understand the complex interactions between environmental factors and cancer severity better, as well as the role of socioeconomic factors in these dynamics.
The evidence pointing towards higher risks in areas with low SES and among younger women highlights the importance of targeted public health interventions and policies to mitigate the effects of air pollution and address disparities in cancer outcomes.
