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Interactions between exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and xenobiotic metabolism genes, and risk of breast cancer

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Abstract

Purpose

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a group of environmental pollutants associated with multiple cancers, including female breast cancer. Several xenobiotic metabolism genes (XMGs), including the CYP450 family, play an important role in activating and detoxifying PAHs, and variations in the activity of the enzymes they encode can impact this process. This study aims to examine the association between XMGs and breast cancer, and to assess whether these variants modify the effects of PAH exposure on breast cancer risk.

Methods

In a case–control study in Vancouver, British Columbia, and Kingston, Ontario, 1037 breast cancer cases and 1046 controls had DNA extracted from blood or saliva and genotyped for 138 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and tagSNPs in 27 candidate XMGs. Occupational PAH exposure was assessed using a measurement-based job-exposure matrix.

Results

An association between genetic variants and breast cancer was observed among six XMGs, including increased risk among the minor allele carriers of AKR1C3 variant rs12387 (OR 2.71, 95% CI 1.42–5.19) and AKR1C4 variant rs381267 (OR 2.50, 95% CI 1.23–5.07). Heterogeneous effects of occupational PAH exposure were observed among carriers of AKR1C3/4 variants, as well as the PTGS2 variant rs5275.

Conclusion

Our findings support an association between SNPs of XMGs and female breast cancer, including novel genetic variants that modify the toxicity of PAH exposure. These results highlight the interplay between genetic and environmental factors, which can be helpful in understanding the modifiable risks of breast cancer and its complex etiology.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Dr. Chris Bajdik for his contributions to the study. The authors also thank Dr. Linda Warren (Screening Mammography Program of BC), Dr. Philip Switzer (Greig Associates), Caroline Speers (Breast Cancer Outcomes Unit, BC Cancer Agency), Agnes Bauzon, Alegria Imperial, Betty Hall, Lina Hsu, Maria Andrews and Teresa Pavlin for their assistance with participant recruitment and data collection in Vancouver. We also thank Dr. Ross Walker, Dr. Ralph George, Celine Morissette, Jane Warner, Hilary Rimmer, Meghan Hamel and Annie Langley for assistance with participant recruitment and data collection in Kingston. Funding for this study was provided by a grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (Funding Reference #: 69036).

Funding

Funding for this study was provided by a grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (Funding Reference #: 69036).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cancer Control Research, BC Cancer, Vancouver, BC, Canada

    Derrick G. Lee & Agnes S. Lai

  2. Department of Mathematics and Statistics, St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, NS, Canada

    Derrick G. Lee

  3. Canada’s Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre, BC Cancer, Vancouver, BC, Canada

    Johanna M. Schuetz & Angela Brooks-Wilson

  4. Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Dornsife School of Public Health, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Igor Burstyn

  5. Department of Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada

    Angela Brooks-Wilson

  6. Department of Public Health Sciences, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON, Canada

    Kristan J. Aronson

  7. School of Environmental Studies, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON, Canada

    Kristan J. Aronson

  8. Division of Cancer Care and Epidemiology, Cancer Research Institute, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON, Canada

    Kristan J. Aronson

  9. School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada

    John J. Spinelli

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Lee, D.G., Schuetz, J.M., Lai, A.S. et al. Interactions between exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and xenobiotic metabolism genes, and risk of breast cancer. Breast Cancer 29, 38–49 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12282-021-01279-0

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