Linking nitrogen dioxide pollution to ovarian and uterine cancer

2024

Challenge

Outdoor air pollution is an established risk factor for lung cancer and contains chemicals that act as endocrine disruptors, meaning they can interfere with the body’s hormonal pathways. In addition, nitrogen dioxide (NO2), which is considered a proxy measure of traffic-related pollution, has been associated with a higher risk of breast cancer. However, there have been very few studies examining the link between air pollution and other hormone-sensitive locations of cancer such as the uterus and ovaries.

Advance

Research led by IRP Stadtman Investigator Alexandra White, Ph.D., observed that women who experienced higher residential exposure to NO2 had a higher risk of going on to develop ovarian and uterine cancers. Specifically, a 5 parts-per-billion increase in NO2 was associated with a 20 percent higher chance of developing each of these cancers. On the other hand, the study found that exposure to fine particulate matter — defined as having a diameter of 2.5 micrometers or less — was not associated with a higher risk for either type of cancer. 

Impact

These findings, which relied on a large, long-term study known as the Sisters Study, expand the scope of the health effects associated with air pollution. Given that ovarian and uterine cancer are both rare forms of the disease, future studies that can pool data across multiple study populations are needed to explore how the association may vary based on different kinds of tumors and geographic regions.

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