Persistent endocrine-disrupting chemicals and incident uterine leiomyomata: A mixtures analysis
Recommended Citation
Wesselink AK, Claus Henn B, Fruh V, Geller RJ, Coleman CM, Schildroth S, Sjodin A, Bethea TN, Noel NL, Baird DD, Wegienka G, and Wise LA. Persistent endocrine-disrupting chemicals and incident uterine leiomyomata: A mixtures analysis. Sci Total Environ 2024; 951:175871.
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
11-15-2024
Publication Title
The Science of the total environment
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Uterine leiomyomata (UL; fibroids) are hormone-dependent neoplasms that can cause significant gynecologic morbidity. Studies have documented associations between concentrations of persistent endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and UL incidence; however, few have assessed the effects of EDC mixtures on UL.
METHODS: In the Study of Environment, Lifestyle, and Fibroids, a prospective cohort study, participants attended study visits at baseline and approximately every 20 months for up to 10 years; at each visit, they completed questionnaires, provided blood samples, and underwent standardized ultrasound examinations. In baseline plasma samples (n = 1155), we quantified concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and organochlorine pesticides using high-resolution mass spectrometry. We selected nine EDCs detected in >60 % of samples (4 PCBs, 4 PBDEs, and 2,2-bis(4-chlorophenyl)-1,1-dichloroethene (p,p'-DDE)) and conducted probit Bayesian kernel machine regression with hierarchical variable selection to estimate effects of the EDC mixture and individual EDCs on UL incidence, adjusting for potential confounders.
RESULTS: During 10 years of follow-up, 32 % of participants developed ultrasound-detected UL. The EDC mixture was not appreciably associated with the probit of UL (β comparing all EDCs at their 75th vs. 50th percentile:= - 0.01, 95 % credible interval [CrI]: -0.11, 0.10). However, individual EDC concentrations were associated with UL in opposing directions: PCB138/158 was positively associated with UL (β for 25th-to-75th-percentile increase when all other chemicals were set to their 50th percentile = 0.18, 95 % CrI: -0.09, 0.44), whereas PBDE99 and p,p'-DDE were inversely associated with UL (β = -0.06, 95 % CrI: -0.21, 0.10 and β = -0.12, 95 % CrI: -0.34, 0.10, respectively). There was little evidence of interaction between EDCs.
CONCLUSION: In this prospective ultrasound study, a mixture of persistent EDCs was not appreciably associated with incident UL during 10 years of follow-up, but individual EDCs were associated with UL in opposite directions.
Medical Subject Headings
Endocrine Disruptors; Humans; Female; Leiomyoma; Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers; Polychlorinated Biphenyls; Adult; Prospective Studies; Environmental Exposure; Middle Aged; Incidence; Uterine Neoplasms; Environmental Pollutants; Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated; Pesticides
PubMed ID
39216750
Volume
951
First Page
175871
Last Page
175871
