Endotoxin Exposure Reduced Risk of Lung Cancer
March 9, 2007 by Gloria Gamat
Filed under Diseases & Conditions
Bacterial endotoxin is a contaminant found in raw cotton fiber and cotton dust.
According to a new study reported in the March 7 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, long-term, high-level exposure to bacterial endotoxin is associated with a 40 percent decrease in lung cancer risk among female Chinese textile workers. (The association was also found in other workers exposed to endotoxin; such as dairy farmers.)
The risk of developing lung cancer decreased as workers were exposed to greater amounts of endotoxin over many years. Twenty years of exposure to endotoxin reduced the incidence of lung cancer to approximately 7.6 per 100,000, compared with 19.1 per 100,000 for the average Shanghai woman. The risk was lowest for women whose endotoxin exposure occurred early in their career.
Such were the findings of George Astrakianakis, Ph.D., of the University of Washington in Seattle, and his colleagues, the mechanism by which endotoxins reduce the risk of lung cancer is still unclear:
“Potential anticarcinogenic effects of endotoxin are probably mediated by the innate and acquired immune systems, although the specific mechanisms have yet to be elucidated.”
The findings have potential impact on lung cancer research but more evidence is needed before endotoxins can be used for lung cancer prevention.
Read the full report.
