Abstract
Air pollution is potentially leading to cancer mortality; however, there is little evidence for a link between nasopharyngeal carcinoma and air pollution. In particular, limited studies have examined the role of traffic and multiple chemical components on the prognosis of this carcinoma. Here, we hypothesized that fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and traffic-related compositions, i.e., black carbon and organic matter, and ozone (O3), might be associated with increased mortality. We collected individual-level data from a 10-year nasopharyngeal cohort in southern China. Time-varying Cox models were developed. Traffic proximity and road density were studied. Results show that The hazard ratios for each interquartile range elevation in O3, black carbon and organic matter were 1.14, 1.21, and 1.22, respectively, whereas hazards for PM2.5 were significant only at above 31.2 \(\mathrm{\mu g}/{\mathrm{m}}^{3}\). Women and patients below 49 years were susceptible to PM2.5, while men and patients above 50 years were vulnerable to high levels of black carbon, organic matter, and O3. The mortality risks were 28–33% or 16–73% greater for those living near traffic or in high-road density areas. There were positive associations between multiple air pollutants and nasopharyngeal carcinoma mortality among various subgroups.
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Acknowledgements
We thank the staff at Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center for their efforts in data collection.
Funding
This work was supported in part by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [grant number 82204154, 82204162], the Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation [grant numbers 2020A1515110230, 2021A1515011765, 2022A1515010823, 2021A1515220128], by the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation [grant number 2021M693594], and by the Excellent Young Researchers Program of the 5th Affiliated Hospital of SYSU (WYYXQN-2021015).
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XL, WJZ, YTH, and LPX conceived and designed the research. YNJ, JJY, and ZQL contributed to acquisition of data. XL, XRS and WJZ contributed to data curation and its analysis. XL and WJZ wrote the paper. WJZ, YTH, LPX, TT, ZQL, SMC, JJ, and WHH contributed to visualization and investigation of the manuscript. WJZ, YTH, and LPX are the guarantor of the manuscript. All co-authors contributed to the preparation of the manuscript and have reviewed as well as approved the final version of the manuscript for publication. The study adhered to the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) reporting guideline.
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Lin, X., Jin, Y., Yao, J. et al. Adverse prognosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma following long-term exposure to multiple air pollutants. Environ Chem Lett 22, 21–27 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10311-023-01659-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10311-023-01659-2