Environmental Nonessential Element Exposure and Urologic Cancer

Is environmental exposure to nonessential elements associated with risk of urologic cancers?In this systematic review and meta-analysis of 68 case-control and cohort studies, arsenic exposure was associated with increased risk of overall urologic cancer and with bladder cancer, urothelial carcinoma, and prostate cancer. Cadmium and vanadium exposures were associated with increased risk of overall urologic cancer, whereas evidence for other elements was limited.These findings suggest that environmental exposure to certain nonessential elements may contribute to urologic cancer risk, suggesting a need for high-quality prospective studies to assess causality and better quantify the public health burden.

Corresponding Author: Zhengyi Deng, SM, PhD, Department of Urology, Stanford University School of Medicine, 453 Quarry Rd, Palo Alto, CA 94304 (zdeng18@stanford.edu).

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