Exposure to heavy metals is suspected to influence breast cancer development, although epidemiological evidence regarding this association remains controversial. This study investigated the association between urinary heavy metal levels and breast cancer risk through a hospital-based case-control design, involving 50 breast cancer patients and 40 healthy females. Heavy metals were quantified using an inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrophotometer (ICP-AES). The exposure levels were categorized into quartiles, and logistic regression was employed to evaluate the breast cancer risk associated with heavy metal exposure. The results revealed positive associations between risk of breast cancer and concentrations of Al, As, Ni, Cd, and Pb. In addition, the risk of breast cancer was high among participants in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th quartiles of Al, As, Ni, Cd, and Pb. However, Co showed an inverse association with breast cancer. These results indicate that increased concentrations of heavy metals, with the exception of Co, are associated with the risk of breast cancer.

中文翻译：

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接触重金属与乳腺癌风险之间的关联：坦桑尼亚的病例对照研究


接触重金属被怀疑会影响乳腺癌的发展，尽管关于这种关联的流行病学证据仍然存在争议。这项研究通过基于医院的病例对照设计调查了尿液重金属水平与乳腺癌风险之间的关联，涉及 50 名乳腺癌患者和 40 名健康女性。使用电感耦合等离子体原子发射分光光度计（ICP-AES）对重金属进行定量。将暴露水平分为四分位数，并采用逻辑回归来评估与重金属暴露相关的乳腺癌风险。结果显示，乳腺癌风险与铝、砷、镍、镉和铅的浓度呈正相关。此外，铝、砷、镍、镉和铅含量位于第二、第三和第四四分位数的参与者患乳腺癌的风险较高。然而，Co 与乳腺癌呈负相关。这些结果表明，除钴之外的重金属浓度增加与乳腺癌风险相关。