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Pesticide Use Linked To Endometrial Cancer

The use of pesticides in agricultural farming has caused concern in recent years, with their direct links to biodiversity loss​. They cause further damage to the environment by seeping down through the soil and into the water table.

According to the European Environment Agency (EEA), the use of chemical pesticides in Europe, "remains a major source of pollution, an important driver of biodiversity loss and a possible cause of negative health impacts for exposed users and citizens." The EEA also believes that pesticide use, "threatens key ecosystem services which help maintain food security in Europe."

As the understanding of the harm pesticides can do to both the environment and human health grows, so too do the number of scientific research studies on the subject. And one such study has found a connection between pesticide use and endometrial cancer.

What are pesticides?​

Pesticides, also known as plant protection products (PPP), are used to control pests, weeds and diseases. Examples include insecticides, fungicides, herbicides, molluscicides, and plant growth regulators. Pesticides can exist in many forms, including solid granules, powders or liquids, and consist of one or more active substances co-formulated with other materials.

Pesticides are used by agricultural farmers to ensure a plentiful supply of food is produced at a reasonable price all year round. Farmers use pesticides to protect crops from insect pests, weeds and fungal disease while they are growing and prevent rats, mice, flies and other insects from contaminating stored foods.

What is endometrial cancer?​

Endometrial cancer, also known as womb cancer or corpus uteri cancer, is a type of tumour that develops on the inner lining of the uterus. It is the most common gynaecological cancer in Europe, with a five-year prevalence of 34.7% (445,805 cases). As endometrial cancer is a hormone-dependent cancer, estrogen can play a role in its development and progression.

According to the World Cancer Research Fund International, there is existing evidence to suggest that being overweight or obese, being tall, and consuming a diet with a high glycaemic load, all increase the risk of developing endometrial cancer. But could exposure to chemicals such as pesticides also increase the risk of developing endometrial cancer?

Could pesticides increase the risk of developing endometrial cancer?​

A recent study, published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, involving the University of Granada (UGR), IDIBELL, the Catalan Institute of Oncology, and the Biohealth Research Institute in Granada (ibs.GRANADA), has found a connection between environmental pollutants and endometrial cancer. This collaborative research included contributions from experts at Bellvitge University Hospital and the Biomedical Research Networking Center for Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP).

The study examined the relationship between endometrial cancer and exposure to mixtures of environmental pollutants that can disrupt hormone function. This class of chemicals, also known as endocrine disruptors, act as xenoestrogens and are found in many industrial products, including pesticides, as well as in cosmetics and other everyday consumer products.

Using advanced chemical analysis techniques and biological testing, the researchers assessed the total hormonal burden in the blood of more than 300 women with and without endometrial cancer.

"The use of these biological tests helps us understand the negative impact of chemical mixtures," explains Marieta Fernández, a UGR professor and researcher at the Biohealth Research Institute in Granada (ibs.GRANADA) and CIBERESP.

The results show a link between exposure to endocrine disruptors and an increased risk of developing endometrial cancer.

"Interestingly, we saw the effect with moderate doses of xenoestrogens, but not with high doses, similar to what was observed with endogenous hormones," adds Laura Costas, a researcher at IDIBELL and the Catalan Institute of Oncology. "Since this is a hormone-dependent cancer, this relationship is probably linked to the nature of the tumour itself. Therefore, we also want to study whether the presence of xenoestrogens leads to a worse pathological evolution in women who already have the disease."

The research highlights the negative impact of endocrine disruptors, such as pesticides, on human health and has significant implications for public health.

This research supports the position of the European Environment Agency (EEA), which has stated that, "human exposure to chemical pesticides is linked to chronic illnesses such as cancer, and heart, respiratory and neurological diseases."

Source: Total Effective Xenoestrogen Burden in Serum Samples and Risk of Endometrial Cancer in the Spanish Screenwide Case–Control StudyPublished online: 28 February 2024DOI: https://ehp.Niehs.Nih.Gov/doi/10.1289/EHP13202Authors: Laura Costas, Jon Frias-Gomez, Francisco M. Peinado, Jose Manuel Molina-Molina et al.

Why Are So Many Young People Getting Cancer? Everything We Know From 'ageing Cells' To 'antibiotics'

It's a worrying trend that we're seeing more of in recent headlines - otherwise healthy people under the age of 50 being diagnosed with cancer.

Evidence suggests more adults in their thirties and forties are getting cancer than ever before, leaving experts trying to figure out why. Take Kate, Princess of Wales, 42, who was told she has cancer after post-operative tests following abdominal surgery diagnosed the disease. She is known to lead a healthy lifestyle with plenty of exercise. The future Queen is now receiving preventive chemotherapy.

There was Manchester dad and avid mountain climber, Bobby Power, who died aged 40, seven months after a pancreatic cancer diagnosis. Followers were devastated by the former United youth footballer's decline from a fit and healthy young man as the disease progressed.

Just a few weeks ago, The Mirror reported the tragic story of Rebecca Gibson, a mum-of-two who was diagnosed with terminal bowel cancer - five years after first visiting the GP about her symptoms. She is just 36-years-old.

Thankfully, researchers are looking to find better treatments and cures, with the world's first personalised mRNA cancer jab for melanoma now being tested on British patients. The 'game-changing' jab, which is custom-built for each person and can tell the body to identify cancer cells and stop them returning, also has the potential to stop bladder, lung and kidney cancer.

Here, The Mirror takes a look at what studies and experts say about the trends of early-onset cancer, and the potential links between diet changes, damaging the gut microbiome with antibiotics and accelerated ageing cells...

What the statistics say Bobby Power, who starred as 'Gorgeous' Gordon Burley in the cult 2000 football film There's Only One Jimmy Grimble, passed away on February 29, aged 40 (

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MEN Media) Bobby Power on his wedding day, which took place inside the hospice (

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MEN Media)

The latest global study shows the number of under-50s getting cancer has risen by almost 80 per cent in three decades - with early onset cancer increasing from 1.82million in 1990 to 3.26million in 2019. Meanwhile, the study, published in BMJ Oncology, showed cancer deaths of adults in their forties, thirties or younger grew by 27 per cent.

Cancer Research UK is looking into the recent rise. They say between the early 1990s and 2018, cancer incidence rates in 25 to 49-year-olds in the UK increased by 22 per cent. The surge is a bigger change than in any other age bracket - more than twice the nine per cent increase for over 75s.

But they warn that as striking as the figures are, early onset cancers are still uncommon. Dr Julie Sharp, head of health information at Cancer Research UK, told the Mirror: "Globally and in the UK, we're seeing a small increase in rates of early onset cancers, affecting people aged 25-49. Whilst the increase may look big, it's important to remember that 90 per cent of all cancers affect people over the age of 50.

"However, this doesn't change how difficult it is for anyone who is diagnosed with cancer. There isn't a clear answer to what's causing the rise, but preventable risk factors, genetics and improvements to early detection might all play a part.

"More research is needed to examine the causes of early onset cancer, so we can better understand why more people under 50 are being diagnosed with the disease. One of our new Cancer Grand Challenges teams has been awarded up to £20m to investigate the rise, and our BCAN-RAY study is looking at new ways to identify younger women at higher risk of breast cancer."

Diet change clue and bowel cancer

Dr Shuji Ogino, a professor at Harvard University in the US, and Dr Tomotaka Ugai, a research fellow at Harvard, have been looking at changes to potentially explain the rise of incidents of cancer in younger people. They looked at how our lifestyles and environment can affect the way diseases evolve and progress.

Their first clue was an economic boom in the 1950s following World War II, and following this, cancer cases in younger people were actually detected in wealthier nations. New products were all the rage, along with low-effort fast food.

Rebecca Gibson has been diagnosed with terminal bowel cancer (

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Irwin Mitchell/SWNS) She's only 36 (

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Irwin Mitchell/SWNS)

The two scientists started investigating bowel cancer in particular, after finding early-onset rates were increasing from the 1990s - when people born in 1950 started developing the disease much earlier than generations before them. Evidence shows that lifestyle and diet changes contribute to a rise in cancer in over 50s, because as people get older, changes develop in their cells.

But early life exposures to the same risks could see the chances of developing cancer start sooner. "From our data, we observed something called the birth cohort effect," Ogino explained. "Since 1950, we found that each successive generation has a higher risk of early-onset cancer. Someone born in 1960 has a higher risk than someone born in 1950, and someone born in 1970 has a higher risk than someone born in 1960. It's just continuing."

The link was most common in bowel cancer - which has increased by around 50 per cent in the UK since the mid-1990s. "Many risk factors are actually shared in many cancer types," Ogino pointed out. "Obviously, the whole body is interconnected, and, with food, there's a line from the mouth to the anus."

Of the 12 cancer types the study found that were increasingly common in those under 50, eight were related to the digestive system. "Our diet has changed a lot," Ogino continued. "We eat more processed and refined food and sugar. That might be a clue, but we don't know exactly how different factors might have contributed to the increase in early-onset cancers."

The latest global study on the number of under-50s getting cancer was led by the University of Edinburgh and Zhejiang University School of Medicine in Hangzhou, China. The highest rates of early onset cancers were in Western Europe and North America.

Based on the trends, the researchers believe diets high in red meat and salt, while being low in fruit and milk, along with alcohol and tobacco use, were the main risk factors in common cancers among under-50s. They also cited physical inactivity, excess weight, and high blood sugar. The experts estimate that by 2030, early onset cancer cases will rise by another 31 per cent, with people in their 40s the most at risk.

A processed diet has been linked to an increased risk of cancer (

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Getty Images) Gut microbiome

Researchers are particularly interested in how what we eat, and diet changes over the decades, have affected the microbiome - which is the bacteria that live in our digestive system and contribute to our health and immune system. Looking at Ugai and Ogino's study of the birth cohort effect, they have argued it's also important to study at how diet changes while we are young can change the balance of bacteria in our guts, and act as a risk factor for early-onset cancer.

In an American study published last month, researchers found a specific subtype of a microbe commonly found in the mouth is able to travel to the gut and grow within colorectal cancer tumours. This microbe is also a culprit for driving cancer progression and leads to poorer patient outcomes after cancer treatment, the study said.

"We've consistently seen that patients with colorectal tumours containing fusobacterium nucleatum have poor survival and poorer prognosis compared with patients without the microbe," explained Susan Bullman, Ph.D., Fred Hutch cancer microbiome researcher and co-corresponding study author. "Now we're finding that a specific subtype of this microbe is responsible for tumour growth. It suggests therapeutics and screening that target this subgroup within the microbiota would help people who are at a higher risk for more aggressive colorectal cancer."

Colon cancer blood tests are becoming more necessary than ever for individuals under 55 (

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Getty Images/Science Photo Library RF)

Levels of fusobacterium have been linked to diets high in processed meat and carbonated drinks. Meanwhile, new research is currently being considered that suggests that the increase in intestinal fungal infections and the use of antibiotics may be a large contributor to cases of colon cancer - which is the number two reason for premature death in adults under 55.

According to Fight Colon Cancer, a non-profit organization, the number of individuals under 55 being diagnosed with colorectal cancer has nearly doubled in just a decade. The death rate has risen 90 percent in the last two decades.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says 30 percent of the roughly 154 million antibiotics doctors prescribe yearly are "medically unnecessary," and contain ingredients that is killing off important bacteria in the gut. Sarah Perrott, a researcher from the University of Aberdeen, says that "the right hand side of the bowel has greater diversity of bacteria.

"So it all makes sense when we think about the contents of the bowel, the activity of the gut microbiome and the theory of bowel cancer development." Although her study, published last year, showed few links between antibiotics and colon cancer, nearly every other type of cancer diagnosis was associated with the overuse of antibiotics.

Another study done in Sweden, on the other hand, did show an absolute link between antibiotics and rectal cancer, along with a more recent study from the UK. Cynthia L. Sears, PhD, a professor of medicine and oncology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, co-authored a 2021 that UK study stated, "we would never say that this is more than associations. But the fact that they are reproducible elements, really, across very different populations makes you think that this could be real".

The UK study did also show that the use of antibiotics occurred at least a decade before the diagnosis, suggesting that this medication takes some time before the drugs have a serious impact. Perrott goes on to say that, "antibiotic use is very common, and it is important to note that not everyone who uses antibiotics will get bowel cancer. However, while invaluable in medicine, antibiotics should be used appropriately and only when necessary."

Secret advanced ageing cells

Researchers in America believe higher cancer rates in younger people could be to do with cells ageing beyond their years. A new study, by researchers at Washington University, found that those with above-average accelerated ageing had a 17 per cent higher risk of developing a cancerous tumour.

Cells control every bodily function, and as they age, their ability to repair themselves reduces. The experts tracked data from almost 150,000 people in the biomedical data UK Biobank. Analysing blood tests, they worked out a person's biological age, and how old a person's cells and tissues were.

Experts believe cells are ageing before their time in some individuals (

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One test marker included albumin - a protein produced by the liver, which works to keep fluid from leaking out of blood vessels. This reduces with age, while the size of red blood cells increases with age, making them less able to divide and multiply.

Faster ageing of cells can be credited to more stressful lifestyles, worsening mental health, obesity, and sedentary lifestyles. Ruiyi Tian, a Washington University graduate student and the study's first author, said: "Unlike chronological age, biological age may be influenced by factors such as diet, physical activity, mental health, and environmental stressors.

"Accumulating evidence suggests that the younger generations may be ageing more swiftly than anticipated, likely due to earlier exposure to various risk factors and environmental insults." Those that scored the most for accelerated ageing cells had double the risk of developing early-onset lung cancer, the study showed.

They also had a 60 per cent higher chance of a stomach tumour, and an alarming 80 per cent higher risk of developing uterine cancer. Dr Anna Blaes, an expert in the effect of biological ageing in cancer survivors at the University of Minnesota, says lungs can be at a greater risk to ageing compared to other tissues due to their inability to regenerate.

Other areas of the body can be linked to inflammation, such as intestinal cancers, which get worse with ageing. Dame Laura Lee, chief executive of Maggies', says they have been a rise in younger patients seeking support from the cancer charity.

She told the Mirror: "It is interesting to see there is now some research coming out which shows that encouraging a healthy lifestyle could reduce early-onset cancer disease burden. We are certainly aware of an increase in younger people coming to us for support after diagnosis and at that point, people often want to reflect on how they came to have cancer.

"And what we do know is how small lifestyle changes even after diagnosis can make a huge difference in helping people to 'get ready' both mentally and physically for cancer treatment. We have been piloting Pre-hab workshops in Scotland for the last few years, now being rolled out across the UK, to empower people to make small changes to lifestyle, diet and exercise. This can help people feel more in control and be in as good a place as possible to start treatment. Small changes can even make treatment easier and can help with recovery as well."

Olivia Munn Is Going Through Medically Induced Menopause After Breast Cancer Treatment. Here's What That Means.

Olivia Munn is taking temporary menopause-inducing medication to prevent breast cancer recurrence. (Noel Vasquez/Getty Images)

Olivia Munn is in medically induced menopause as a result of treatment to keep her breast cancer from recurring, the actress told People in an exclusive new interview. Munn, who last month revealed she'd undergone a double mastectomy after being diagnosed with luminal B, told the magazine that treatment for the aggressive form of breast cancer included four surgeries in the span of just 10 months and, now, hormone-suppressing treatment that has triggered menopausal symptoms. "I'm constantly thinking it's hot, my hair is thinning and I'm tired a lot," she told People. So what does it mean to be in medically induced menopause? Here's what to know.

What is medically induced menopause and what treatments cause it?

Menopause occurs when the ovaries' production of two sex hormones — estrogen and progesterone — slows and eventually stops as a result of the normal aging process, typically beginning between ages 45 and 55, according to the National Institute on Aging. As these hormones decline, periods become irregular and eventually stop altogether, and a number of other physiological changes are prompted.

Some medical treatments can send people into menopause early. Medically induced menopause can be triggered by several different types of treatments for breast, ovarian or uterine cancer or, less commonly, for endometriosis. According to BreastCancer.Org, these include:

Surgical removal of the ovaries, uterus or both to treat or prevent cancer and, in some cases, endometriosis

Radiation to treat cancer (including ovarian, uterine or colorectal cancer)

Chemotherapy to treat cancer

Hormone suppression therapy to treat or prevent recurrences of hormone-positive breast, ovarian or uterine cancer

In Munn's case, hormone suppression treatment is being used to stop her ovaries from producing estrogen to help prevent her breast cancer from returning after she had surgery to remove the cancer and both breasts, she told People. According to Munn, whose type of cancer is fueled by hormones, she hasn't needed chemotherapy or radiation, but hormone suppressing treatment to cut off this fuel source should reduce the chances that tumors can form again. "If somebody has an estrogen-sensitive tumor, doctors try to block their estrogen production, so they use these drugs that basically shut the ovaries down," Dr. Mary Jane Minkin, co-director of the sexuality, intimacy and menopause for cancer survivors program at Yale University's Smilow Cancer Center, tells Yahoo Life.

What are the symptoms of medically induced menopause?

Menopause, whether induced by age or medication, is the same, so the symptoms are identical. Common symptoms, according to the Mayo Clinic include:

For people going through medically induced menopause, the difference is that these changes are happening more suddenly. "It'll act really quickly," Minkin says. She notes that about 20% of women don't get hot flashes when they go through menopause but, for people like Munn going through medically induced menopause, hot flashes are probably more common. "These people are going from a young person's level of estrogen to menopause, so we do tell people that it can be sudden."

While people on hormone suppressing therapies for breast cancer can't take hormone replacement therapy, there are prescriptions and herbal treatments that can help ease symptoms, says Minkin, who discusses some of these options on her website, MadameOvary.Com.

How long does medically induced menopause last?

That depends on what treatment has triggered menopause. For those who have surgery to remove the ovaries, uterus or both, menopause will be permanent and, if the ovaries were removed, it begins immediately. After chemotherapy, sometimes the ovaries begin producing estrogen and menopause ends. But sometimes they don't, Minkin says.

For those taking hormone-suppressing medications, such as Munn, menopause will last as long as the course of treatment does. According to a National Institutes of Health study, breast cancer survivors are on these medications for an average of 4.04 years. Minkin says that anywhere from five to 10 years of treatment is common, depending on the type and stage of breast cancer someone was diagnosed with.

Once someone who was otherwise premenopausal stops taking these types of medications, the ovaries should resume producing estrogen and progesterone again and menstrual cycles will resume. One study published in the journal Fertility and Sterility in 2016 found that periods resumed within two years of treatment for 90% of women, meaning they were no longer in menopause.

Can a woman have children after going through medically induced menopause?

Yes — at least in theory. "If the woman is fairly young, she does the medication for five years and then stops it and her ovaries do come back" — meaning her body is actively producing estrogen and progesterone to release eggs — "then that's OK as far as childbearing, and she may well be able to get pregnant," Minkin says. BreastCancer.Org also suggests that a woman's fertility will return after treatment has ended.

It's not guaranteed, however. Minkin says that if a woman has viable eggs, then she may still be able to conceive with IVF. But "if a woman stops therapies and the ovaries don't wake up, then she's gone through menopause."

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