DDT Byproduct Might Increase Risk of Testicular Cancer, Study Says

Men who are exposed to lingering amounts of the pesticide DDT might have an increased risk of the most common form of testicular cancer, according to a study published online Monday in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Reuters reports.

For the study, Katherine McGlynn of the National Cancer Institute and colleagues examined blood samples from 739 men in the U.S. military who had testicular cancer and 915 men who did not. Researchers found that men with the highest levels of DDE, which is created when the environment or body breaks down DDT, were 70% more likely to develop testicular cancer than those who had the lowest levels of DDE, according to Reuters.

The DDE-cancer link was especially strong with seminoma, which is a type of testicular cancer that involves the testicles' sperm-producing germ cells, researchers noted. About 15% of the testicular cancer cases in the study could be attributed to DDE, McGlynn said. She added that it is impossible to determine when the men were exposed to DDT but that it might date back to when they were in the womb or breastfeeding.

"In testicular cancer, there's a fair amount of evidence that something is happening very early in life to increase risk," McGlynn said. Testicular cancer, which often appears in men in their 20s and 30s, has been increasing in many countries in recent years, Reuters reports. McGlynn said DDE could be a factor. "The trouble with these chemicals is they hang around a long time," she said, adding, "It's in the food chain now" (Reuters, 4/29).

The study is available online.