Breast adenocarcinoma and its relationship with adherence to dietary patterns and exposure to pesticides in Córdoba

Abstract

Breast cancer affects 70 out of every 100,000 women in the province of Córdoba, a pathology associated with genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors. This led to analyze population`s adherence to characteristic dietary patterns and exposure to pesticides with the occurrence of breast adenocarcinoma (C:50), in women attending public and private institutions of Córdoba during the period August 2021-May 2023.

Case-control study (n of cases = 72 and n of controls = 129). The cases are women with histopathological diagnosis of breast adenocarcinoma and controls are healthy women attending the same hospital centers, with biosocio-cultural characteristics similar to the cases, without the pathology. The participants answered a validated quali-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (RePIS n°4216). To assess the adherence to dietary patterns, a generalized structural equation model with latent variables (GSEM) was constructed. The dietary patterns (latent variables) were built with the food groups (observed variables), placing the case-control status as a dichotomous response variable. Bioenvironmental co-variables (age, pesticide exposure, etc) were included.

Preliminary findings show that this population adheres to a greater or lesser degree to three dietary patterns: Confectionery Pattern (PR by its abbreviation in Spanish) (patisserie, sweets, butter and creams), Southern Cone Pattern (SCP) (fatty meats, processed meats and refined cereals) and Prudent Pattern (PP) (vegetables and lean meats). Both PR and pesticide exposure were associated with an increased chance of developing breast adenocarcinoma (OR 1.04 and OR 2.53 respectively; p<0.05), while PP exerted a protective effect (OR 0.98; p=0.004).

The results show a change in relation to the food selection registered with respect to previous years, where the PCS predominated. Interestingly, the findings obtained show the importance of diet and environmental health in the prevention of breast adenocarcinoma.