Background and aims Knowledge on the etiology of exocrine pancreatic cancer (EPC) is scant. The best established risk factor for EPC is tobacco smoking. Among other carcinogens, tobacco contains cadmium, a metal previously associated with an increased risk of EPC. We evaluated the association between concentrations of trace elements in toenails and EPC risk. Methods The study included 118 EPC cases and 399 hospital controls from Eastern Spain. Levels of twelve trace elements were determined in toenail samples by inductively coupled plasma - mass spectrometry. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs), adjusted for potential confounders, were calculated using logistic regression. Results Significantly increased risks of EPC were observed among subjects whose concentrations of cadmium (OR=3.58, 95%CI 1.86–6·88; Ptrend=5×10−6), arsenic (OR=2.02, 95%CI 1.08–3.78; Ptrend=0.009), and lead (OR=6.26, 95%CI 2.71–14.47; Ptrend=3×10−5) were in the highest quartile. High concentrations of selenium (OR=0.05, 95%CI 0.02–0.15; Ptrend=8×10−11) and nickel (OR=0.27, 95%CI 0.12–0.59; Ptrend=2×10−4) were inversely associated with risk of EPC. Conclusion We report novel associations of lead, nickel, and selenium toenail concentrations with pancreas cancer risk. Furthermore, results confirm previous associations with cadmium and arsenic. These novel findings, if replicated in independent studies, would point to an important role of trace elements in pancreatic carcinogenesis.

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The aim was to analyze the effects of body mass index (BMI), low-dose exposure, mixtures of persistent organic pollutants (POPs), and lipid adjustment on the relationship between POP concentrations and diabetes and prediabetes in the general adult population of Catalonia (Spain). Serum concentrations of POPs were measured by gas chromatography with electron-capture detection in 886 participants in a health interview survey. The highest concentrations of all POPs analyzed were found in subjects who had diabetes. Levels were also higher in individuals with prediabetes than in subjects without the disorder. In models adjusted by age, sex and BMI, the prevalence of diabetes and prediabetes increased in a dose-dependent manner across quartiles of PCBs 118, 138, 153, and 180, and HCB. When models were further adjusted for lipids, the associations were slightly lower and statistically significant, the ORs for the upper quartile ranging from 2.0 to 2.8 (all p-values for linear trend <0.05). Concentrations of p,p′-DDT, p,p′-DDE and β-HCH were not associated with diabetes or prediabetes. Increasing concentrations of PCBs and HCB were positively associated with diabetes and prediabetes. Only part of the association was due to age and BMI. Findings support the hypothesis that exposure to POPs may be a diabetogenic factor in both obese and nonobese individuals.

Restriction or adjustment by stage and timing of blood draw may be insufficient to prevent biases associated with cancer progression. Symptoms may enable investigators to assess disease-induced changes in lipophilic exposure biomarkers.

This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting galley proof before it is published in its final citable form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain.-1-Methodological issues in a prospective study on plasma concentrations of persistent organic pollutants and pancreatic cancer risk within the EPIC cohort

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