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Facilitation of cancer metastases by an air pollutant
Author(s) -
Richters Arnis
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
journal of surgical oncology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.201
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1096-9098
pISSN - 0022-4790
DOI - 10.1002/jso.2930170210
Subject(s) - medicine , facilitation , pollutant , cancer , air pollutants , oncology , environmental health , air pollution , ecology , neuroscience , biology
An experimental model was designed to test the possibility that inhalation of a noxious air pollutant may facilitate the blood‐borne cancer cell metastasis to the lungs. Animals were exposed to inhalation of air containing 0.8 ppm of nitrogen dioxide for 12 weeks. After this period, animals were infused intravenously with melanoma cells, and 3 weeks later lungs were examined for metastases. The results indicate that NO 2 exposed animals develop significantly higher number of lung metastases (P < 0.0025) than the controls. Such results raise the possibility that the inhalation of NO 2 from ambient air may facilitate the seeding and proliferation of blood‐borne cancer cells in the human lung.