Glioma mutational signatures associated with haloalkane exposure are enriched in firefighters.

in Cancer by Vincent L Cannataro, Paige M Bracci, Jennie W Taylor, Lucie McCoy, Terri Rice, Helen M Hansen, Anne E Heffernan, Joseph Wiemels, John Wiencke, Margaret Wrensch, Elizabeth B Claus

TLDR

  • The study found a link between glioma and exposure to haloalkanes, which may be a modifiable risk factor, particularly in firefighters and individuals with occupations that involve exposure to these chemicals.

Abstract

Glioma is the most common malignant primary brain tumor and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Modifiable risk factors remain unidentified. New advances in exposure assessment, genomic analyses, and statistical techniques permit more accurate evaluation of glioma risk associated with exogenous occupational or environmental exposures. By using whole-exome sequencing data from matched germline and glioma tumor samples, the authors compared tumor mutational signatures for 17 persons with glioma and a documented occupational history of firefighting with those of 18 persons with glioma without an occupational history of firefighting. All 35 individuals were participants in the University of California, San Francisco Adult Glioma Study. There was a positive correlation among firefighters between the median number of sample variants attributable to single-base substitution signature 42, a single-base substitution mutational signature associated with haloalkane exposure (from the Catalogue of Somatic Mutational Signatures in Cancer) and firefighting years (p = .04; R= 0.29). Among nonfirefighters, the individuals with the highest number of median variants attributable to single-base substitution signature 42 also had occupations that possibly exposed them to haloalkanes, such as painting and being a mechanic. In summary, the authors identified gliomas that had mutational signatures associated with haloalkane exposure that were enriched in firefighters and other occupations.

Overview

  • The study investigates the relationship between glioma, a common malignant primary brain tumor, and occupational or environmental exposures.
  • The authors used whole-exome sequencing data to compare tumor mutational signatures between 17 firefighters with glioma and 18 non-firefighters with glioma.
  • The study aimed to identify modifiable risk factors for glioma, which remain unknown, and to explore the potential link between occupational exposures and glioma development.

Comparative Analysis & Findings

  • The study found a positive correlation between the median number of sample variants attributable to single-base substitution signature 42 and firefighting years among firefighters.
  • Non-firefighters with the highest number of median variants attributable to single-base substitution signature 42 had occupations that possibly exposed them to haloalkanes.
  • The study identified gliomas with mutational signatures associated with haloalkane exposure that were enriched in firefighters and other occupations.

Implications and Future Directions

  • The study suggests that haloalkane exposure may be a modifiable risk factor for glioma, particularly in firefighters and individuals with occupations that involve exposure to these chemicals.
  • Future studies should investigate the specific chemicals and occupations associated with haloalkane exposure to better understand the epidemiology of glioma.
  • The study's findings also highlight the potential importance of occupational exposure in the development of glioma, which has implications for prevention and treatment strategies.
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