Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39123098›Full record

ArticleAmerican journal of epidemiology2025

The association between long-term PM2.5 exposure and risk for pancreatic cancer: an application of social informatics.

Nrupen A Bhavsar, Kay Jowers, Lexie Z Yang, Sharmistha Guha, Xuan Lin, Sarah Peskoe, Hannah McManus, Lisa McElroy, Mercedes Bravo, Jerome P Reiter and 2 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in American journal of epidemiology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
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

3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Impact of Pollution on Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis with Focus on Air Pollution.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026
    Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Review
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

12 authors.

Nrupen A BhavsarDepartment of Surgery, School of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States.ORCID 0000-0002-9937-5560
Kay JowersNicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States.ORCID 0009-0008-8389-3997
Lexie Z YangDepartment of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, School of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States.
Sharmistha GuhaDepartment of Statistics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States.ORCID 0000-0002-9335-0952
Xuan LinDepartment of Economics, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States.
Sarah PeskoeDepartment of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, School of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States.
Hannah McManusDepartment of Medicine, School of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States.
Lisa McElroyDepartment of Surgery, School of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States.ORCID 0000-0003-2366-2579
Mercedes BravoGlobal Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States.ORCID 0000-0003-1777-9869
Jerome P ReiterDepartment of Statistical Science, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States.ORCID 0000-0002-8374-3832
Eric WhitselDepartment of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States.ORCID 0000-0003-4843-3641
Christopher TimminsDepartment of Economics, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States.

Funding

Support for QA/QC for Prior Approval ProcessUL1TR002553 · NCATS · DUKE UNIVERSITY · PI LI, JENNIFER S, MCNAMARA, JAMES O. · 2018 to 2023
$58.5M
Science CoreP2CHD065563 · NICHD · DUKE UNIVERSITY · PI James Moody · 2015 to 2026
$5.7M
Increasing Access to Transplant through Improved Clinical Decision MakingK08MD017632 · NIMHD · DUKE UNIVERSITY · PI Lisa M McElroy · 2022 to 2026
$551k
NCATS NIH HHS UL1 TR002553NHLBI NIH HHS K01140146NICHD NIH HHS P2C HD065563NIH HHS UL1TR002553NIMHD NIH HHS K08 MD017632
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

There is a profound need to identify modifiable risk factors to screen and prevent pancreatic cancer. Air pollution, including fine particulate matter (PM2.5), is increasingly recognized as a risk factor for cancer. We conducted a case-control study using data from the electronic health record (EHR) of Duke University Health System, 15-year residential history, NASA satellite fine particulate matter (PM2.5), and neighborhood socioeconomic data. Using deterministic and probabilistic linkage algorithms, we linked residential history and EHR data to quantify long-term PM2.5 exposure. Logistic regression models quantified the association between a 1 interquartile range (IQR) increase in PM2.5 concentration and pancreatic cancer risk. The study included 203 cases and 5027 controls (median age of 59 years, 62% female, 26% Black). Individuals with pancreatic cancer had higher average annual exposure (9.4 μg/m3) as compared to an IQR increase in average annual PM2.5, which was associated with greater odds of pancreatic cancer (odds ratio = 1.20; 95% CI, 1.00-1.44). These findings highlight the link between elevated PM2.5 exposure and increased pancreatic cancer risk. They may inform screening strategies for high-risk populations and guide air pollution policies to mitigate exposure. This article is part of a Special Collection on Environmental Epidemiology.

Indexed as

Air PollutantsAir PollutionEnvironmental ExposurePancreatic NeoplasmsParticulate MatterAdultAgedCase-Control StudiesElectronic Health RecordsFemaleHumansLogistic ModelsMaleMiddle AgedNorth CarolinaRisk FactorsAir PollutantsParticulate Matterdata linkageelectronic health recordsfine particulate matterpancreatic cancerPM2.5social determinants of healthsocial informatics

Identifiers

PMID39123098
PMCPMC11879496

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
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.