Level of polychlorinated biphenyls in tumor and blood serum of breast cancer patients and control subjects from Punjab, Pakistan

• Published in: The Science of the total environment Vol. 926; p. 171908
• Main Authors: Khalid, A., Abbasi, N.A., Jamil, N., Syed, J.H., Ahmad, S.R., Qadir, A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 20.05.2024
• Subjects: blood serum; body mass index; Breast cancer; breast neoplasms; chlorides; chronic exposure; Covariates; dioxins; environment; females; gas chromatography; Haematological parameters; hemoglobin; mass spectrometry; Pakistan; PCBs congeners; polychlorinated biphenyls; potassium; Sociodemographic variables; Pakistan; PCBs congeners; Haematological parameters; Breast cancer; Covariates; Sociodemographic variables
• ISSN: 0048-9697; 1879-1026; 1879-1026
• DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.171908

The current study examined the level of Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in tumor and blood serum of female breast cancer patients and control individuals recruited from Punjab, Pakistan. Breast tumor and blood serum from 40 patients and only blood serum from ten control subjects were obtained and concentration of 32 PCB congeners was analyzed through Gas chromatography coupled with Mass spectrophotometry. Sociodemographic variables of the patients along with essential clinical and haematological parameters were taken as covariates. Tumor reflects the highest median (min-max) concentration (ng g−1 lw) of ƩPCBs at 115.94 (0.05–17.75) followed by 16.53 (0.09–2.94) and 5.24 (0.01–0.59) in blood serum of cancer patients and control group respectively. Median concentrations (ng g−1 lw) of non-dioxine like ƩPCBs were considerably higher at 83.04, 32.89 and 4.27 compared to 13.03 and 3.50 and 0.97 for dioxin like ƩPCBs in tumor, serum of breast cancer patients and control subjects respectively. PCB-87 was most dominant congeners in tumor followed by PCB-170 and -82 whereas PCB-28 and -52 reflected greatest contribution in serum of breast cancer patients. Blood haemoglobin, potassium and chloride ions showed significant positive whereas body mass index reflect inverse relationship when regressed with ƩPCBs in tumor. This pioneer study depicts elevated concentrations of PCBs in patients compared to control, reflecting potential positive association of PCBs with breast cancer which need further confirmation. We concluded that chronic exposure to PCBs might be associated with an increasing number of breast cancer incidences in developing countries like Pakistan, which should be further elucidated through detail in vitro and in vivo studies. [Display omitted] •PCBs were assessed in tumor and serum of breast cancer patients and compared with serum of controls subjects•PCBs were significantly higher in tumor and blood serum of patients compared to control•Non-dioxin like PCBs were highly prevalent group compared to dioxin like PCBs•PCB-87, -170 and -82 in tumor and PCB-28 and -52 were dominant congeners in serum•Haemoglobin, Potassium and Chloride ions were positive while BMI was inversely related with tumor PCBs