Association of serum and cervical tissue levels of organochlorine pesticides with cervical cancer in women of east Delhi: A case control pilot study

Abstract

Aim and objectives: Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), known to have estrogenic activity, have been implicated in pathogenesis of reproductive tract cancers. Our study was aimed at understanding the role of OCPs in cervical cancer. Materials and methods: Approximately 3 mL of blood and 1 g of cervical tissue was taken from 30 cervical cancer patients and 30 controls and subjected to OCP analysis. Blood and tissue levels of OCPs were compared between cases and controls and correlation was assessed between OCP levels in blood and cervical tissue in each subject. Results: Blood levels of endosulfan-I (1.72 vs 1.23 ppb, p = 0.001), ppDDD (1.66 vs 0.002 ppb, p = 0.001) and cervical tissue levels of ΒHCH (4.23 vs 1.38 ppb, p = 0.000), heptachlor (3.54 vs 1.87 ppb, p = 0.008) and endosulfan-II (1.20 vs 0.66 ppb, p = 0.000) were significantly raised in cervical cancer patients compared to controls. No correlation was found between OCP levels in blood and cervical tissue in either case or control. Conclusion: OCP exposure may be associated with increased risk of cervical cancer. Also, there does not seem to be any correlation between blood and cervical tissue levels of pesticides.