A study led by researchers from RISE-Health has identified a link between exposure to chemicals and prostate cancer, a type of ‘hormone-dependent cancer and the second most common cancer in men,’ according to the scientific paper.

According to the study led by Sílvia Socorro, a researcher at the RISE-Health Research Unit and Vice-Rector for Research, Innovation and Development at the University of Beira Interior (UBI), endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are natural or synthetic compounds present in the environment, objects, food and cosmetics that interfere with the normal functioning of the endocrine system and can affect ‘the production of male and female sex hormones’. Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals) are natural or synthetic compounds present in the environment, objects, food and cosmetics, which interfere with the normal functioning of the endocrine system and can affect ‘the production of hormones, their metabolism, release and transport, as well as alter the interaction of endogenous hormones with their receptors and the activation of signalling cascades’.

‘The prostate is an organ that is heavily dependent on hormonal action, and prostate cancer is considered a hormone-dependent cancer. Endocrine disruptors, chemicals that are ubiquitous in the environment and to which we are frequently exposed through various routes, affect hormonal signalling, enhancing or reducing the action of certain hormones,’ explains the RISE-Health researcher.

According to the UBI expert, contact with these substances influences the development of cancer, ‘since hormone-dependent cancers, such as prostate cancer, have their development and progression closely linked to the (im)balance of hormonal signalling, and are therefore prime targets for substances that can disrupt the endocrine system by interfering with the production, signalling or metabolism of endogenous hormones.’

‘Although concerns about the action of EDCs have existed for some years, new perspectives on the action of these substances and their contribution to the malignant transformation and development of tumours in the prostate have recently emerged,’ he points out, noting that this occurs in the communication between prostate cells and adjacent adipose tissue, which is also a target of disruptors.

In addition to cancer-related problems, contact with endocrine disruptors impacts other aspects of citizens’ health. ‘We are talking about fertility problems, changes in foetal development, metabolic disorders such as obesity and diabetes, and even neurological effects that can affect behaviour and cognition,’ explains Sílvia Socorro.

In the view of the Vice-Rector of the University of Beira Interior, in order to mitigate these effects, it is essential to ‘strengthen and harmonise international and national regulations on endocrine disruptors, implementing strict limits on their presence in everyday consumer products such as food, packaging, cosmetics and pesticides,’ she points out, adding that ‘public awareness is an essential pillar for prevention’.

‘Translational research should also promote mitigation and early intervention strategies to minimise impacts on human health, including long-term population studies and environmental monitoring,’ she concluded.

The article ‘Endocrine-disrupting chemicals as prostate carcinogens’, published in the journal Nature Reviews Urology, was led by Sílvia Socorro, Mariana Feijó, Tiago Carvalho, Lara Fonseca, Cátia Vaz, José Eduardo Cavaco, Cláudio Maia, Ana Duarte and Sara Correia, researchers at RISE-Health (RISE-Health/UBI). Experts Bruno Pereira and Endre Kiss-Toth also contributed to the study.