Addendum: The growing incidence of prostate cancer in the French Caribbean islands, Martinique and Guadeloupe: A possible causal role of pesticides
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- Published online on: August 1, 2009 https://doi.org/10.3892/ijo_00000356
- Pages: 433-433
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Abstract
In a recent paper published in the journal (1), we reported
results of an ecological multifactorial study showing that
the growing incidence of prostate cancer in Martinique and
Guadeloupe is probably caused by environmental factors,
and have hypothesized in a second paper that among factors,
spray of organochlorine pesticides might be causally involved
(2). Table I indicates the different carcinogenic, mutagenic
and/or reprotoxic (CMR) or presumed CMR pesticides used
since 1955 in the two islands. Unlike that indicated in our
first paper (1), aldrin and dieldrin are not rated as 2B carcino-
gens but instead as group 3 in the IARC classification.
Moreover, although our paper clearly showed an excess of
prostate cancer in the South East part of Martinique (Fig. 1),
unfortunately in the text, this area was mentioned as
corresponding to the South-West of the island. These two
necessary precisionsdo not change the basic conclusions of
our paper, and the importance of its scientific message, since it
clearly establishesfor the first time that prostate cancer may be
an environmentaldisease.