Ambient air pollution and incident bladder cancer risk: Updated analysis of the Spanish Bladder Cancer Study

• Published in: International journal of cancer 2019-08, Vol.145 (4), p.894-900
• Main Authors: Turner, Michelle C., Gracia‐Lavedan, Esther, Cirac, Marta, Castaño‐Vinyals, Gemma, Malats, Núria, Tardon, Adonina, Garcia‐Closas, Reina, Serra, Consol, Carrato, Alfredo, Jones, Rena R., Rothman, Nathaniel, Silverman, Debra T., Kogevinas, Manolis
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Air Pollutants - adverse effects; Air pollution; Air Pollution - adverse effects; Air pollution measurements; Bladder cancer; Cancer; Cigarette smoking; Environmental Exposure - adverse effects; Environmental risk; Female; fine particulate matter; Health risk assessment; Health risks; Hispanic Americans; Humans; Logistic Models; Lung cancer; Male; Medical research; Middle Aged; Nitrogen dioxide; Nitrogen Dioxide - adverse effects; Odds Ratio; Particulate emissions; Particulate matter; Particulate Matter - adverse effects; Particulates; Pollutants; Pollution; Pollution levels; Population studies; Regression analysis; Risk Factors; Smoking; Spain; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms - etiology; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0020-7136; 1097-0215
• DOI: 10.1002/ijc.32136

Although outdoor air pollution and particulate matter in outdoor air have been consistently linked with increased lung cancer risk, the evidence for associations at other cancer sites is limited. Bladder cancer shares several risk factors with lung cancer and some positive associations of ambient air pollution and bladder cancer risk have been observed. This study examined associations of ambient air pollution and bladder cancer risk in the large‐scale Spanish Bladder Cancer Study. Estimates of ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentrations were assigned to the geocoded participant residence of 938 incident bladder cancer cases and 973 hospital controls based on European multicity land‐use regression models. Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for associations of ambient air pollution and bladder cancer risk were estimated using unconditional logistic regression models. Overall, there was no clear association between either ambient PM2.5 (OR per 5.9 μg/m3 = 1.06, 95% CI 0.71–1.60) or NO2 (OR per 14.2 μg/m3 = 0.97, 95% CI 0.84–1.13) concentrations and incident bladder cancer risk. There was no clear evidence for effect modification according to age group, sex, region, education, cigarette smoking status, or pack‐years. Results were also similar among more residentially stable participants and in two‐pollutant models. Overall, there was no clear evidence for associations of ambient PM2.5 and NO2 concentrations and incident bladder cancer risk. Further research in other large‐scale population studies is needed with detailed information on measured or modeled estimates of ambient air pollution concentrations and individual level risk factors. What's new? Outdoor air pollution and particulate matter in outdoor air have been linked to increased lung cancer risk. However, evidence for other cancer sites is limited. In this study, the authors examined associations between ambient PM2.5 NO2 concentrations based on European multi‐city land‐use regression models, and bladder cancer risk in the large‐scale Spanish Bladder Cancer Study. They found no clear associations with incident bladder cancer risk. Further research in other large‐scale population studies is needed.