Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29016628›Full record

ArticlePloS one2017

Hazardous air pollutants and primary liver cancer in Texas.

Luca Cicalese, Giuseppe Curcuru, Mauro Montalbano, Ali Shirafkan, Jeremias Georgiadis, Cristiana Rastellini

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
9citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
0.9field-weighted citation impact, top 28% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

9 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 19 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. The association between air pollution and cancers: controversial evidence of a systematic review.Environmental science and pollution research international · 2020
    Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Hazardous air pollutants and telomere length in the Sister Study.Environmental epidemiology (Philadelphia, Pa.) · 2019
    Article
  8. Article
  9. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

Luca CicaleseTexas Transplant Center, Department of Surgery, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, United States of America.
Giuseppe CurcuruDepartment of Chemical, Management, Informatics and Mechanical Engineering, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
Mauro MontalbanoTexas Transplant Center, Department of Surgery, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, United States of America.
Ali ShirafkanTexas Transplant Center, Department of Surgery, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, United States of America.
Jeremias GeorgiadisTexas Transplant Center, Department of Surgery, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, United States of America.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1571-1433
Cristiana RastelliniTexas Transplant Center, Department of Surgery, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, United States of America.
The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston · USIstituto Euro Mediterraneo di Scienza e Tecnologia · IT

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common primary liver cancer, is increasing in the US and tripled during the past two decades. The reasons for such phenomenon remain poorly understood. Texas is among continental states with the highest incidence of liver cancer with an annual increment of 5.7%. Established risk factors for HCC include Hepatitis B and C (HBV, HCV) viral infection, alcohol, tobacco and suspected risk factors include obesity and diabetes. While distribution of these risk factors in the state of Texas is similar to the national data and homogeneous, the incidence of HCC in this state is exceptionally higher than the national average and appears to be dishomogeneous in various areas of the state suggesting that other non-recognized risk factors might play a role. No population-based studies are currently available investigating the effect of exposure to Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs) as a contributing risk factor for liver cancer. Incidence rate of liver cancer in Texas by counties for the time period between 2002 and 2012 was obtained from the Texas Cancer Registry (TCR). Through Principal Component Analysis (PCA) a subgroup of pollutants, explaining almost all the dataset variability, were identified and used to cluster Texas counties. The analysis generated 4 clusters showing liver cancer rate either higher or lower than national average in association with either high or low levels of HAPs emission in the environment. The study shows that the selected relevant HAPs, 10 among 253 analyzed, produce a significant correlation (P = 0.01-0.05) and some of these have been previously identified as carcinogens. An association between the increased production and consequent exposure to these HAPs and a higher presence of liver cancer in certain counties is suggested. This study provides a new insight on this complex multifactorial disease suggesting that environmental substances might play a role in the etiology of this cancer.

Indexed as

Air PollutantsCarcinoma, HepatocellularEnvironmental ExposureEnvironmental MonitoringHumansIncidenceLiver NeoplasmsOrganic ChemicalsPrincipal Component AnalysisRisk FactorsTexasAir PollutantsOrganic Chemicals

Identifiers

PMID29016628
PMCPMC5634561
OpenAlexW2763096066

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.