This week, cancer researchers in New York are one step closer to answering a question that has plagued medical and environmental advocates for decades: What is the role of plastic exposure in the development of cancer?
Scientists at NYU Langone Health examined cancerous and benign tissues from 10 patients with prostate cancer, the most common cancer among American men.
In nine of the 10, according to the report, they found “small fragments of plastic” in both the healthy and cancerous tissues — but the tumors had much higher levels.
More than double the amount, in fact.
The report states that the cancerous tissue had an average of around 40 micrograms of plastic per gram of tissue, while the healthy samples had about 16 micrograms per gram.
And the findings have led the researchers to call for tighter regulations on plastic manufacturers whose products are taking a toll on human and environmental health.
A rapidly growing body of research shows that microplastics are everywhere and unavoidable. Plastic used in various kinds of packaging — on anything from food to personal care items — breaks down into ingestible particles that can also be inhaled or absorbed through the skin.
Studies have shown how microplastics have infiltrated pretty much every human organ and a bunch of bodily fluids. Virtually no living thing — not even an unborn baby — is safe from the stuff. (Researchers have found microplastics in dozens of analyzed placentas.)
“By uncovering yet another potential health concern posed by plastic, our findings highlight the need for stricter regulatory measures to limit the public’s exposure to these substances, which are everywhere in the environment,” said study senior author Vittorio Albergamo, PhD, assistant professor in the NYU Grossman School of Medicine’s Department of Pediatrics.
But while all those findings mount, we still don’t have a great understanding of how plastic affects our bodies, and potentially puts us at a greater risk of serious health complications like cancers, heart disease and dementia.
Another of the lead authors, Stacy Loeb, MD, said this study was the first of its kind in the US to link microplastic exposure specifically to prostate cancer, which the CDC estimates will affect one in eight men in the US throughout their lifetime.
It’s also “the first Western assessment of its kind to examine microplastic levels in prostate tumors and to compare them with plastic buildup in noncancerous prostate tissue,” the professor in the NYU Grossman School of Medicine’s Departments of Urology and Population Health said.
To identify the plastics in the tissues, the researchers used specialized equipment — made of non-plastic materials to avoid contamination — to search for molecules from 12 of the most prolific plastics.
While their findings are an important start, Albergamo said his team plans to dig deeper to try to learn more about how the plastic interacts with the body.
One hypothesis that he hopes to test is whether the microplastics “prompt an overactive immune response (inflammation) in the tissue, which over time can damage cells and trigger genetic changes that cause cancer cells to form.” Though he noted that a larger sample size will be needed for a study of that kind.
The prevalence of prostate cancer is only growing among American men, prompting the scientific community to aggressively seek out effective treatments. Among the early successes is a recent study that found a potential treatment in what was originally developed for patients with Type 2 diabetes.
