ArticleCell death discovery2025
Lead bioaccumulation in human breast cancer tissue is associated with DNA instability and cell death resistance.
Article in Cell death discovery, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
What it found
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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.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- Altered trace and toxic element profiles in breast tissue: a case-control study of cancer risk.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Environmental Lead Promotes Breast Cancer Migration and Invasion via the AKR1C3-NF-κB-MMP Axis.Biomedicines · 2026Article
- Effect of pesticides on breast cancer tumor.Biology direct · 2025Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
13 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Lead (Pb) is increasingly recognized for its potential to alter cellular processes and contribute to cancer development. Although Pb is classified as a probable carcinogen by the IARC, the clinical evidence for its role in breast cancer is inconsistent and limited to epidemiological studies yet. The aim of this study was to investigate the Pb bioaccumulation in human breast cancer tissues by correlating its concentration with specific cancer factors related to carcinogenesis. Biopsy samples from 26 breast cancer patients were collected for molecular investigations (DNA and RNA sequencing), histological analysis, and the assessment of Pb concentration by ICP-MS. Data reported here revealed Pb bioaccumulation in all breast cancer samples, with a significant positive correlation between Pb levels and both Tumoral Mutational Burden and Microsatellite Instability, suggesting an association of Pb with genomic instability in human breast cancer samples. Additionally, Pb was associated with increased expression of cell death-related molecules such as BCL2 and p53. This association allows us to hypothesize a potential involvement of Pb in affecting cell death resistance. Interestingly, Pb concentration showed no correlation to other established prognostic and predictive biomarkers of breast cancer, such as PAM50. Thus, Pb concentration may represent a new independent risk factor for breast cancer development. This study provides new insights into the role of Pb bioaccumulation in breast cancer and suggests that environmental exposure to Pb may contribute to more aggressive tumor behavior through mechanisms involving genomic instability and resistance to apoptosis.
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Registered trials
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