BPA Exposure May Be Linked to Prostate Cancer, Study Shows
A new study suggests that levels of bisphenola A (BPA) in men’s urine may be a marker of prostate cancer and that low levels of BPA exposure can cause cellular changes in both nonmalignant and malignant prostate cells. The research, published in PLOS ONE, provides the first evidence that urinary BPA levels may help predict prostate cancer and that disruption of a cell duplication cycle through exposure to low-dose BPA may cause cancer development in the prostate.
Ubiquitous Pollutant
Exposure to BPA, an environmental pollutant with estrogen activity is widespread in the United States, exceeding 90% in the general population. Absorption through the skin, inhalation, and ingestion from contaminated food and water are the major kinds of exposure. The pollutant has been linked to neurologic defects, diabetes, and a number of cancers, including breast and prostate.
"As an endocrine disruptor that mimics estrogen and thyroid hormones, BPA also acts as a metabolic and immune disruptor,” said principle investigator Shuk-mei Ho, PhD, Director of the Cincinnati Cancer Center, Jacob G. Schmidlapp Chair of Environmental Health and Professor at the UC College of Medicine. "The adverse health effects of BPA are extensive, and studies in animals have proven this.”
"However, human studies linking BPA exposure to heightened cancer risk are limited,” she continued. "Our study examined the association between urinary BPA levels and prostate cancer and assessed the effects of BPA on the initiation of centrosome abnormalities as an underlying mechanism promoting prostate cancer formation.”
Study Details
In the study, researchers assessed the prostate-specific antigen levels of 60 urology patients using urine samples. Higher levels of BPA were found in prostate cancer patients than in non–prostate cancer patients (5.74 µg/g creatine vs 1.43 µg/g creatine), and the difference was even more significant in patients less than 65 years of age.
Additionally, researchers examined both normal and cancerous prostate cells using immunofluorescence, allowing them to visualize the distribution of the target molecule and look specifically at centrosomal abnormalities and growth patterns.
"Exposure to low doses of BPA increased the percentage of cells with centrosome amplification two- to eightfold,” Dr. Ho said. "BPA is not a recognized carcinogen, and questions surrounding the mechanism behind the positive correlation of BPA exposure with prostate cancer have arisen.”
"Several studies have shown that centrosome amplification is a major contributing factor to chromosomal mutation in human tumors. We examined the centrosome profile of prostate cancer cells treated with BPA and found that treatment with BPA increased the number of cells with abnormal centrosomes”.
"All of these findings reveal a previously unknown relationship between BPA exposure and prostate cancer and suggest a mechanism underlying the role of BPA in cellular transformation and disease progression. With this insight, we hope to further investigate ways we can decrease exposures to potentially cancerous-causing chemicals in every day products and substances and reduce the onset of prostate cancer in men.”
Dr. Ho is the corresponding author for the PLOS ONE article.
The study was supported in part by the Center for Environmental Genetics, grants from the National Institutes of Health, and a Medical Research Program Department of Defense Award.
The content in this post has not been reviewed by the American Society of Clinical Oncology, Inc. (ASCO®) and does not necessarily reflect the ideas and opinions of ASCO®.
