Studies indicate a possible association between the development of prostate cancer and pesticide exposure and in agricultural occupations. - GreenMedInfo Summary
Exposure to pesticides and prostate cancer: systematic review of the literature.
Rev Environ Health. 2016 Sep 1 ;31(3):311-27. PMID: 27244877
João F S Silva
INTRODUCTION: Investigations about the association between prostate cancer and environmental and/or occupational pesticide exposure have evidenced a possible role of these chemical substances on tumor etiology, related to their action as endocrine disruptors.
OBJECTIVE: To assess the association between pesticide exposure and prostate cancer by conducting a systematic review of the scientific literature.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Articles published until August 18, 2015 were searched in the databases MEDLINE/Pubmed, Scielo, and Lilacs using the keywords"pesticides"and"prostate cancer". Only the analytical observational studies whose methodological quality met the criteria established by the New Castle-Ottawa scale were included in this review.
RESULTS: The review included 49 studies published between 1993 and 2015. All studies were in English and analyzed exposure to pesticides and/or agricultural activities. Most studies (32 articles) found a positive association between prostate cancer and pesticides or agricultural occupations, with estimates ranging from 1.01 to 14.10.
CONCLUSION: The evidence provided by the reviewed studies indicates a possible association between the development of prostate cancer and pesticide exposure and/or agricultural occupations.
