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Dr. Schenk says DDT may be linked to prostate cancer. |
Environmental chemicals that are considered safe may cause cancer, says Maryjean Schenk, MD, assistant professor and interim chair of family medicine. DDT, a chemical which has been used extensively for pest control in the United States, and is used in many countries for malaria control, may be linked to the development of prostate cancer, according to a new WSU pilot study.
With prostate cancer diagnoses at an all-time high, Dr. Schenk is trying to learn more about the etiology of cancer and its link to occupational and environmental chemical exposures. Dr. Schenk was recently awarded a one-year grant from the United States Department of Defense for "A Pilot Case-Control Study of Serum DDE Levels and Prostate Cancer."
"DDT, a commonly used insect killer, persists in the soil for prolonged periods of time, and it persists in human tissue as the major metabolite--DDE--for decades," said Dr. Schenk. Laboratory studies analyzing the DDT levels in animals and the DDE levels in breast cancer patients suggest that further investigation of the health effects of DDT are warranted. "There are at least two possible biological mechanisms by which DDT and DDE could contribute to the carcinogenic process within the prostate. These include direct carcinogenic effects of DDT and hormonal effects of DDT and DDE on prostate epithelial cells," Dr. Schenk said.
With this innovative pilot study, Dr. Schenk plans to compare DDE levels in the blood of men who have prostate cancer and men who do not have prostate cancer. This information will be used to gain a better understanding of the potential links between cancer and environmental exposures.