ReviewMolecular cancer2025
Microplastics as emerging carcinogens: from environmental pollutants to oncogenic drivers.
Review in Molecular cancer, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled 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.
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.
Who cites it
16 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Micro- and nanoplastics in the human genitourinary system: oncological impact - a systematic review.BJU international · 2026Pooled it
- Micro- and Nanoplastics in the Human Exposome: Environmental Pathways, Kidney Toxicity, and Implications for Public Health Risk Assessment.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Biological Activities, Medicinal Uses, and Nutritional Effects ofFood science & nutrition · 2026Review
- Current Evidence Linking Microplastic Exposure and Reproductive Cancers.Journal of xenobiotics · 2026Review
- Microplastics in Human Thoracic Tissues: Increased Burden in Patients with Lung Malignancy.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Article
- Microplastics and nanoplastics in human toxicity: ROS-mediated mechanisms, cellular damage and systemic effects.Molecular biology reports · 2026Review
- Inhaled Micro- and Nanoplastics as Environmental Modifiers of Lung Carcinogenesis: Mechanistic Insights and Evidence Synthesis.Journal of xenobiotics · 2026Review
- Chronic Exposure to Polystyrene Nanoplastics Promotes Lung Cancer Progression via Activating Gluconeogenesis and Inhibiting Glycolysis.Environment & health (Washington, D.C.) · 2026Article
- Microplastics in early-onset carcinogenesis.Carcinogenesis · 2026Review
- From Plastic Pollution to Remediation Solutions: Micro/Nanofiber-Based Strategies for Microplastic and Nanoplastic Removal.Membranes · 2026Review
- Dietary Intake of Micro- and Nanoplastics: Potential Adverse GI Effects on Microbiome, Inflammation, and Neoplasia.Microorganisms · 2026Review
- Emerging evidence on micro- and nanoplastics carcinogenicity: mechanisms, models, and signaling networks.Molecular cancer · 2026Review
- Toxic effects of microplastics in aquatic environments and the pathways to sustainable management.RSC advances · 2026Review
- Environmental co-exposure to microplastics and phenol may influence redox signaling and tumor microenvironment dynamics.Journal of Cancer · 2026Review
- Global prostate cancer risk associated with microplastic exposure: a statistical and machine learning analysis.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The widespread environmental pollution of microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs) has become a major public health issue, with increasing evidence associating their bioaccumulation with cancer onset. This review offers a thorough examination of the etiological contributions of MPs/NPs in carcinogenesis, clarifying their mechanistic roles in in vitro, in vivo, and patient-derived evidences. Relevant studies were systematically identified and screened following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines to ensure methodological transparency and quality. We highlighted recent discoveries that emphasize the varied accumulation of MPs in several human cancer tissues, including lung, colorectal, gastric, cervical, breast, pancreatic, prostate and penile malignancies. These particles induce harmful biological effects by chronic inflammation, oxidative stress, genotoxicity, disturbance of lipid metabolism, and alteration of the tumor immunological microenvironment. Significantly, MPs/NPs disrupt various oncogenic signaling pathways, particularly NF-κB, PI3K/Akt/mTOR, Wnt/β-catenin, and p53, therefore facilitating tumor initiation, development, and metastasis. In vitro and in vivo studies have corroborated the carcinogenic potential of MPs/NPs, illustrating their capacity to cause cellular transformation, augment metastatic characteristics, and modify drug resistance pathways in cancer cells. Furthermore, the detection of MPs in human biological matrices, including blood, placenta, and tumor tissues, highlights direct human exposure and potential systemic effects. This review emphasizes the mechanistic insights with therapeutic significance, addressing current knowledge gaps in the field. Future research must prioritize biomarker identification, patient-centered investigations, therapeutic targeting, and the formulation of regulatory policies to alleviate the health hazards linked to microplastic exposure. Understanding the intricate relationship between MPs/NPs and cancer biology could facilitate the development of novel cancer prevention and management strategies related to environmental contamination.
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Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.