Environmental Exposures and Canine Bladder Cancer: A Case Control Study Using Silicone Passive Samplers.

Pet dogs offer valuable models for studying environmental impacts on human health due to shared environments and a shorter latency period for cancer development. We assessed environmental chemical exposures in a case-control study involving dogs at high risk of urothelial carcinoma, identified by a BRAF V595E mutation in urinary epithelial cells. Cases (n = 25) exhibited low-level BRAF mutations, while controls (n = 76) were matched dogs without the mutation. Each dog wore a silicone sampler for five continuous days to assess environmental exposures. Silicone samplers were analyzed using targeted and suspect screening (i.e., nontargeted) methods. Of 115 targeted chemicals, 39 were detected in >50% of samplers, with cases showing significantly higher levels (2-3×) of BDE-47, BDE-99, anthracene, and benzyl butyl phthalate (p < 0.05). Suspect screening identified that cases were exposed to more chemicals, often at higher exposure levels. For example, cases had significantly higher levels of 25 chemical features compared to controls (p < 0.05). This is the largest study to date to quantify such a wide breadth of contaminant exposure levels associated with canine urothelial carcinoma and the first to assess a population with subclinical disease, highlighting pet dogs as models to study environmental contributions to cancer risk, advancing both human and veterinary health.

Duke Scholars

Author Heather M. Stapleton Environmental Sciences and Policy