Blood and tissue levels of persistent organic pollutants and genetic susceptibility in patients with breast cancer.

We investigated possible associations between the internal concentrations of POPs and correlations between blood and tumor tissue concentrations in patients who underwent surgery for breast cancer and breast reduction as controls. Genetic variations in CYP1A1, GSTP1, GSTM1, and GSTT1 and hOGG1 were evaluated to determine whether they represent risk factors for breast cancer. Certain POPs have been found to be associated with breast cancer development. GST-P1 polymorphism represented a significant risk for breast cancer with unadjusted OR. However, the GSTT1 null polymorphism represented a significant risk for breast cancer when OR adjusted for age and smoking status. CYP1A1 polymorphism was a significant risk factor for breast cancer, regardless of whether the OR was adjusted. These results suggest that exposure to certain POPs, GSTT1 and CYP1A1 polymorphisms, age, and smoking status are risk factors for breast cancer. In addition, the blood concentrations of some POPs represent surrogates for breast tissue concentrations.