Following are public and technical abstracts for the PFCs (Teflon) and RCC project funded by the Department of Defense Kidney Cancer Research Program (KCRP) for 2017. Principal Investigator: Catherine Callahan Institution: National Cancer Institute Funding Mechanism: Concept Award Award Amount: $89,700    

Public Abstract

The primary objective of this study is to investigate whether elevated blood levels of per- and polyfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) are associated with an increased risk of kidney cancer. PFCs are man-made chemicals that were used for several decades to make non-stick cookware coating, firefighting foams, and other products. PFCs are now widely detectable in the blood of Americans due to consumption of contaminated food and water. Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), one of the most produced and studied PFCs, has been classified as a possible cancer-causing agent by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, with suggestive evidence from epidemiologic studies of an increased risk of kidney cancer. The cancer-causing potential of other PFCs has not yet been evaluated. To clarify whether exposure to PFOA and other PFCs is associated with kidney cancer risk, we will conduct a nested case-control study within the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian Cancer (PLCO) Screening Trial, a trial of 155,000 participants who were enrolled between November 1993 and July 2001. We will measure levels of 12 PFCs in serum samples from 374 cases who developed kidney cancer after sample collection and 374 controls who did not develop kidney cancer. Our study will be the largest investigation of PFOA exposure and kidney cancer to date, the first study of its kind to directly measure serum levels of PFOA, and the first to extend investigations beyond PFOA to include other PFCs. Our results will provide new evidence critical to determining if these chemicals contribute to the development of kidney cancer.

Technical Abstract

Background: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl chemicals (PFCs) are ubiquitous environmental contaminants that have been widely used in a variety of industrial and commercial applications. PFCs persist in the environment and can bioaccumulate in humans through consumption of contaminated water and food. Once ingested, PFCs are distributed to the kidney, liver, and serum. Occupational exposure to PFCs has been associated with increased risks of death from kidney cancer and non-malignant kidney disease. In 2016, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified the most studied PFCs, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) as a possible carcinogen (Group 2B), based on limited epidemiologic evidence of associations with testicular and kidney cancer from small studies of exposed workers and communities near a PFCs-producing plant. Other PFCs with known toxicity have not been evaluated, and no epidemiologic studies have evaluated cancer incidence in relation to other PFCs beyond PFOA. Hypothesis and Objective: We hypothesize that PFOA, and possibly other PFCs, are human carcinogens and that exposure to these substances is associated with increased risk of kidney cancer. Primary Aim: Prospectively investigate the relationship between serum levels of 12 PFCs and renal cell carcinoma (RCC) risk among 374 cases and 374 individually matched controls in the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian (PLCO) Cancer Screening Trial. We hypothesize that PLCO participants with higher circulating levels of PFCs are at increased future risk of RCC. Our study would be the first, to our knowledge, to directly measure PFOA and consider other PFCs in relation to RCC risk. Innovation: This study will be the largest study of PFOA exposure and kidney cancer risk to date, the first to investigate associations with other PFCs, and the first to directly assess exposure to these chemicals through the measurement of pre-diagnostic concentrations in serum. Impact: Findings from this study will be critical to clarifying whether exposure to PFOA and other PFCs increases the risk of kidney cancer. This study will greatly inform future evaluations of the carcinogenicity of these chemicals. Return to Abstracts Contents KCRP Awards FY2017