Top

International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health

Published in:

01-07-2009 | Original Article

Major histopathological patterns of lung cancer related to arsenic exposure in German uranium miners

Authors: Dirk Taeger, Georg Johnen, Thorsten Wiethege, Soile Tapio, Matthias Möhner, Horst Wesch, Andrea Tannapfel, Klaus-Michael Müller, Thomas Brüning, Beate Pesch

Published in: International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health | Issue 7/2009

Abstract

Objective

The mechanisms of action of arsenic in the development of lung cancer are still not yet elucidated. Considering the relationship between arsenic and squamous cell carcinomas of the skin, we hypothesized that arsenic exposure may be more closely associated with squamous cell carcinoma of the lung.

Methods

A comprehensive histopathological database and a detailed job-exposure matrix developed for former German uranium miners with exposure to arsenic, radon, and quartz were analyzed to quantitatively assess the effect of arsenic regarding cell type of lung cancer. The distributions of major lung cancer cell types in 1,786 German uranium miners were associated with levels of arsenic exposure under control for the other lung carcinogens. To evaluate the arsenic effects in association with a frequent occupational lung disease in miners stratification by silicosis was performed.

Results

There was an arsenic-related increase of the proportion of squamous cell carcinoma of the lung but restricted to miners without silicosis. The increase was found at all levels of co-exposure to radon and quartz dust. In miners with silicosis, the proportion of adenocarcinoma increased with rising arsenic exposure. Arsenic exposure was associated with non-small cell lung cancer. Silicosis turned out as major determinant of the cell type related with arsenic.

Conclusion

These results indicate a cell type characteristic effect of arsenic in the development of lung cancer.

Andrew AS, Warren AJ, Barchowsky A et al (2003) Genomic and proteomic profiling of responses to toxic metals in human lung cells. Environ Health Perspect 111:825–838PubMed

Axelson O, Dahlgren E, Jansson CD et al (1978) Arsenic exposure and mortality: a case-referent study from a Swedish copper smelter. Br J Ind Med 35:8–15PubMed

Bauer H-D (2000) Studie zur retrospektiven Analyse der Belastungssituation im Uranerzbergbau der ehemaligen SDAG Wismut mit Ausnahme der Strahlenbelastung für die Zeit von 1946 bis 1990. HVBG, Sankt Augustin

Borczuk AC, Gorenstein L, Walter KL et al (2003) Non-small-cell lung cancer molecular signatures recapitulate lung developmental pathways. Am J Pathol 163:1949–1960PubMed

Cavigelli M, Li WW, Lin AN et al (1996) The tumor promoter arsenite stimulates AP-1 activity by inhibiting a JNK phosphatase. EMBO J 15:6269–6279PubMed

Centeno JA, Mullick FG, Martinez L et al (2002) Pathology related to chronic arsenic exposure. Environ Health Perspect 110:883–886PubMed

Chen Y, Graziano JH, Parvez F et al (2006) Modification of risk of arsenic-induced skin lesions by sunlight exposure, smoking, and occupational exposures in Bangladesh. Epidemiology 17:459–467. doi:10.1097/01.ede.0000220554.50837.7f PubMedCrossRef

Dahmann D, Bauer H-D, Stoyke G (2008) Retrospective exposure assessement for respirable and inhalable dust, crystalline silica and arsenic in the former German uranium mines of SAG/SDAG Wismut. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 81:949–958. doi:10.1007/s00420-007-0287-8 PubMedCrossRef

Fisseler-Eckhoff A, Erfkamp S, Muller KM (1996) Cytokeratin expression in preneoplastic lesions and early squamous cell carcinoma of the bronchi. Pathol Res Pract 192:552–559PubMed

Giangreco A, Groot KR, Janes SM (2007) Lung cancer and lung stem cells: strange bedfellows? Am J Respir Crit Care Med 175:547–553. doi:10.1164/rccm.200607-984PP PubMedCrossRef

Guo HR, Wang NS, Hu H, Monson RR (2004) Cell type specificity of lung cancer associated with arsenic ingestion. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 13:638–643PubMed

Hosmer DW, Lemeshow S (2000) Applied logistic regression, 2nd edn. Wiley, New York

Huang RN, Ho IC, Yih LH et al (1995) Sodium arsenite induces chromosome endoreduplication and inhibits protein phosphatase-activity in human fibroblasts. Environ Mol Mutagen 25:188–196. doi:10.1002/em.2850250304 PubMedCrossRef

IARC (1973) Arsenic and inorganic arsenic compounds. In: IARC. Some inorganic and organometallic compounds, 2nd edn. IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer), Lyon

IARC (1980) Arsenic and arsenic compounds. In: IARC. Some metals and metallic compounds, 23rd edn. IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer), Lyon

IARC (1987) Overall evaluation of carcinogenicity: an updating of IARC monographs. Monogr Eval Carcinog Risks Hum 1–41:56–178

Ives JC, Buffler PA, Greenberg SD (1983) Environmental associations and histopathologic patterns of carcinoma of the lung: the challenge and dilemma in epidemiologic studies. Am Rev Respir Dis 128:195–209PubMed

Kahn P (1993) A grisly archive of key cancer data. Science 259:448–451. doi:10.1126/science.8424163 PubMedCrossRef

Kim CFB, Jackson EL, Woolfenden AE et al (2005) Identification of bronchioalveolar stem cells in normal lung and lung cancer. Cell 121:823–835. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2005.03.032 PubMedCrossRef

Kreuzer M, Müller K, Brachner A et al (2000) Histopathologic findings of lung carcinoma in German uranium miners. Cancer 89:2613–2621. doi:10.1002/1097-0142(20001215)89:12<2613::AID-CNCR14>3.0.CO;2-YPubMedCrossRef

Lau ATY, Chiu JF (2006) Proteomic and biochemical analyses of in vitro carcinogen-induced lung cell transformation: synergism between arsenic and benzo[a]pyrene. Proteomics 6:1619–1630. doi:10.1002/pmic.200500332 PubMedCrossRef

Lehmann F, Hambeck F, Linkert KH, et al. (1998) Belastung durch ionisierende Strahlung im Uranerzbergbau der ehemaligen DDR: Abschlussbericht zu einem Forschungsvorhaben. HVBG, Sankt Augustin

Liao TF (2000) Estimated precision for predictions from generalized linear models in sociological research. Qual Quant 34:137–152. doi:10.1023/A:1004798429785 CrossRef

Liu J, Xie YX, Ducharme DMK et al (2006) Global gene expression associated with hepatocarcinogenesis in adult male mice induced by in utero arsenic exposure. Environ Health Perspect 114:404–411PubMedCrossRef

Mohner M, Lindtner M, Otten H et al (2006) Leukemia and exposure to ionizing radiation among German uranium miners. Am J Ind Med 49:238–248. doi:10.1002/ajim.20289 PubMedCrossRef

Newman JA, Archer VE, Saccomanno G et al (1976) Histologic types of bronchogenic carcinoma among members of copper-mining and smelting communities. Ann N Y Acad Sci 271:260–268. doi:10.1111/j.1749-6632.1976.tb23120.x PubMedCrossRef

Pershagen G, Bergmann F, Klominek J et al (1987) Histological types of lung cancer among smelter workers exposed to arsenic. Br J Ind Med 44:454–458PubMed

Polyak K, Hahn WC (2006) Roots and stems: stem cells in cancer. Nat Med 12:296–300. doi:10.1038/nm1379 PubMedCrossRef

Ramirez P, Del Razo LM, Gutierrez-Ruiz MC et al (2000) Arsenite induces DNA-protein crosslinks and cytokeratin expression in the WRL-68 human hepatic cell line. Carcinogenesis 21:701–706. doi:10.1093/carcin/21.4.701 PubMedCrossRef

Schmidt P, Strauss RP (1975) The prediction of occupation using multiple logit models. Int Econ Rev 16:471–486. doi:10.2307/2525826 CrossRef

Simonato L, Agudo A, Ahrens W et al (2001) Lung cancer and cigarette smoking in Europe: an update of risk estimates and an assessment of inter-country heterogeneity. Int J Cancer 91:876–887. doi:10.1002/1097-0215(200102)9999:9999<::AID-IJC1139>3.0.CO;2-7PubMedCrossRef

Stang A, Pohlabeln H, Muller KM et al (2006) Diagnostic agreement in the histopathological evaluation of lung cancer tissue in a population-based case–control study. Lung Cancer 52:29–36. doi:10.1016/j.lungcan.2005.11.012 PubMedCrossRef

Taeger D, Fritsch A, Wiethege T et al (2006a) Role of exposure to radon and silicosis on the cell type of lung carcinoma in German uranium miners. Cancer 106:881–889. doi:10.1002/cncr.21677 PubMedCrossRef

Taeger D, Pesch B, Johnen G et al (2006b) Silicosis as modifying factor on the distribution of major histopathological types of lung cancer under cumulative quartz exposure. Air Qual Control 66:450–454

Taeger D, Krahn U, Wiethege T et al (2008) A study on lung cancer mortality related to radon, quartz, and arsenic exposures in German uranium miners. J Toxicol Environ Health A 71:859–865. doi:10.1080/15287390801987972 PubMedCrossRef

Tapio S, Grosche B (2006) Arsenic in the aetiology of cancer. Mutat Res 612:215–246. doi:10.1016/j.mrrev.2006.02.001 PubMedCrossRef

Tapio S, Danescu-Mayer J, Asmuss M et al (2005) Combined effects of gamma radiation and arsenite on the proteome of human TK6 lymphoblastoid cells. Mutat Res 581:141–152PubMed

Tokudome S, Haratake J, Horie A et al (1988) Histologic type of lung cancer among male Japanese copper smelter workers. Am J Ind Med 14:137–143. doi:10.1002/ajim.4700140204 PubMedCrossRef

Travis WD, Colby TV, Corrin B et al (1999) Histological typing of lung and pleural tumors, 3rd edn. Springer, Berlin

Tsubokawa F, Nishisaka T, Takeshima Y et al (2002) Heterogeneity of expression of cytokeratin subtypes in squamous cell carcinoma of the lung: with special reference to CK14 overexpression in cancer of high-proliferative and lymphogenous metastatic potential. Pathol Int 52:286–293. doi:10.1046/j.1440-1827.2002.01353.x PubMedCrossRef

Wesch H, Wiethege T, Spiethoff A et al (1999) German uranium miner study—historical background and available histopathological material. Radiat Res 152:48–51. doi:10.2307/3580113 CrossRef

WHO (1977) Manual of the international statistical classification of diseases, injuries and causes of death, 9th revision. WHO (World Health Organization), Geneva

Wicks HJ, Archer VE, Auerbach O et al (1981) Arsenic exposure in a copper smelter as related to histological type of lung cancer. Am J Ind Med 2:25–31. doi:10.1002/ajim.4700020106 PubMedCrossRef

Wistuba II, Mao L, Gazdar AF (2002) Smoking molecular damage in bronchial epithelium. Oncogene 21:7298–7306. doi:10.1038/sj.onc.1205806 PubMedCrossRef

Yu HS, Liao WT, Chai CY (2006) Arsenic carcinogenesis in the skin. J Biomed Sci 13:657–666. doi:10.1007/s11373-006-9092-8 PubMedCrossRef

Title: Major histopathological patterns of lung cancer related to arsenic exposure in German uranium miners
Authors: Dirk Taeger
Georg Johnen
Thorsten Wiethege
Soile Tapio
Matthias Möhner
Horst Wesch
Andrea Tannapfel
Klaus-Michael Müller
Thomas Brüning
Beate Pesch
Publication date: 01-07-2009
Publisher: Springer-Verlag
Published in: International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health / Issue 7/2009
Print ISSN: 0340-0131
Electronic ISSN: 1432-1246
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-008-0386-1

At a glance: The ONWARDS insulin icodec trials

Springer Medicine

Major histopathological patterns of lung cancer related to arsenic exposure in German uranium miners

Abstract

Objective

Methods

Results

Conclusion

At a glance: The ONWARDS insulin icodec trials

Springer Medicine

Abstract

Objective

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Please log in to get access to this content

Other articles of this Issue 7/2009

Strong association of physical job demands with functional limitations among active people: a population-based study in North-eastern France

Working at night and work ability among nursing personnel: when precarious employment makes the difference

Cholinesterase activity, pesticide exposure and health impact in a population exposed to organophosphates

Arsenic levels in ground water and cancer incidence in Idaho: an ecologic study

Cancer incidence in the wastewater treatment plant of a large chemical company

Metrics of whole-body vibration and exposure–response relationship for low back pain in professional drivers: a prospective cohort study