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Externally‐Applied Talc Containing Baby Powder Particles Can Enter the Female Reproductive Tract, Become Lodged In Pelvic Tissues, and Be Found In Ovarian Cancer Resections
Author(s) -
Johnson Kurt E.,
Popratiloff Anastas,
Godleski John J
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.2019.33.1_supplement.767.13
Subject(s) - scanning electron microscope , talc , materials science , chemistry , composite material
We used differential interference contrast (DIC), polarized light microscopy (PLM), and scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X‐ray analysis (SEM/EDS) to study both control talc‐containing baby powder (TCBP), a magnesium silicate, as well as specimens obtained from TCBP‐exposed human patients with ovarian cancer. Control TCBP specimens consist of a mixture of large and small birefringent particles (1–65 μm diameter), most of which are approximately isodiametric with aspect ratios averaging 1.3, but a substantial fraction of particles are elongated, with aspect ratios averaging 11 (Figures 1 and 2, note scale bar in Figure 1 applies as well to Figure 2). Detailed analysis of 200 randomly chosen particles from TCBP reveal three main classes: the most common class, (small aspect ratio and small area); and, two other uncommon classes; one with a small aspect ratio and large area; and, the other with a small area but large aspect ratio (Table 1). In the SEM/EDS, both isodiametric and elongated particles show oxygen, magnesium, and silicon signals of talc (Figures 3 and 4). In biopsies from TCBP‐exposed patients with ovarian cancer, a subset of particles in malignant tissues studied with PLM revealed birefringent particles, commonly associated with macrophages (Figure 5). When paraffin‐embedded blocks of these tissues were examined with SEM/EDS, some particles gave nontalc signals, but some gave signals with peaks for oxygen, magnesium, and silicon in ratios indicative of talc (Figures 6 and 7). These results show that particles of TCBP, when applied externally, can make their way through the female reproductive tract and become embedded in malignant ovarian tissue. In addition, we found that most of the talc particles in malignant ovarian tissue were small, with diameters in the 4 μm range, interestingly, the most frequent class of particles in control TCBP. This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2019 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal .