Katherine McGlynn

Ph.D.

National Cancer Institute

Senior Investigator

PLCO (Learn more about this study)

2023-9000

Feb 2, 2023

Pilot study of air pollution adducts in PLCO serum samples

In 2013, based on evidence of an association with lung cancer, IARC concluded that air pollutants were group 1 human carcinogens Since 2013, evidence has begun to accumulate on associations with several other cancer types, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). At least four studies of air pollution and HCC incidence have reported that an association exists. While the results of the air pollution-HCC literature are intriguing, a methodologic limitation is that all the studies are based on ecological data. The recent development of LC-MS/MS-based adductomic technology to determine specific air pollutants, however, offers the opportunity to examine the hypothesis in a more rigorous manner. As such, we propose using this technology, developed in Dr. Groopman’s lab, to examine the relationship between air pollution and HCC among PLCO participants. Dr. Groopman has used this new assay to demonstrate that adducts are detectable among person in China, but the assay hasn’t previously been used on U.S. samples. As a result, before proceeding with the full study, we propose to conduct a pilot study to demonstrate air pollution-associated adducts are present in PLCO samples.

The serum volume required for the LC-MS/MS assay is 25 uL. As air pollution levels can vary throughout the U.S., we look like to request samples from more than one location. A total of 25 samples from different persons are requested.