Ambient PM2.5 exposure and pancreatic cancer risk in a Northern Ireland population-based case-control study
Abstract
Fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) has been associated with several cancers, but evidence for pancreatic cancer remains limited. We examined whether long-term residential exposure to PM 2.5 is associated with pancreatic cancer risk in Northern Ireland. We conducted a population-based case–control study of 475 incident pancreatic cancer cases diagnosed in 2019–2020 and 8,316 cancer-free controls from the Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA), all aged ≥ 50 years. Annual PM 2.5 concentrations at 1 km ² spatial resolution were obtained from modelled surfaces. Seven-year mean exposure was assigned to residential postcodes and categorised into tertiles (< 7.46, 7.46–9.66 and > 9.66 µg/m ³ ). Logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for PM 2.5 tertiles and per-µg/m ³ increases. Models were adjusted for age (5-year bands), sex, smoking status and area-level deprivation. Stratified analyses were conducted by sex, age group (< 74/≥74 years), smoking status, urban–rural classification and histologically confirmed adenocarcinoma. Compared with the lowest PM 2.5 tertile, the fully adjusted OR for pancreatic cancer was 0.90 (95% CI 0.69, 1.16) for medium exposure and 1.02 (95% CI 0.79, 1.31) for high exposure. When modelled continuously, each 1 µg/m ³ increase in PM 2.5 was associated with an OR of 1.02 (95% CI 0.97, 1.06). Stratified analyses showed no clear differences in associations across subgroups. In this population-based study in Northern Ireland, long-term exposure to ambient PM 2.5 was not associated with pancreatic cancer risk. These findings provide an important contribution to current limited evidence regarding air pollution and pancreatic cancer in regions with relatively low ambient PM 2.5 concentrations.
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BibTeX
@article{alhattab2026ambient,
title = {{Ambient PM2.5 exposure and pancreatic cancer risk in a Northern Ireland population-based case-control study}},
author = {Rawan A. N. Alhattab and Jennifer M. McKinley and Ruth F. Hunter and Helen G. Coleman and Damien Bennett and Sinead Hawkins and R. Stephen McCain and Claire M. Delargy and Deirdre Fitzpatrick and Helen Mitchell and Angela Scott and Bernadette McGuinness and Gareth McKay and Liacine Bouaoun and Richard C. Turkington and Valerie McCormack and Daniel R. S. Middleton},
journal = {Scientific Reports},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1038/s41598-026-73390-1},
url = {https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-73390-1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Ambient PM2.5 exposure and pancreatic cancer risk in a Northern Ireland population-based case-control study
AU - Rawan A. N. Alhattab
AU - Jennifer M. McKinley
AU - Ruth F. Hunter
AU - Helen G. Coleman
AU - Damien Bennett
AU - Sinead Hawkins
AU - R. Stephen McCain
AU - Claire M. Delargy
AU - Deirdre Fitzpatrick
AU - Helen Mitchell
AU - Angela Scott
AU - Bernadette McGuinness
AU - Gareth McKay
AU - Liacine Bouaoun
AU - Richard C. Turkington
AU - Valerie McCormack
AU - Daniel R. S. Middleton
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/06
JO - Scientific Reports
DO - 10.1038/s41598-026-73390-1
UR - https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-73390-1
AB - Fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) has been associated with several cancers, but evidence for pancreatic cancer remains limited. We examined whether long-term residential exposure to PM 2.5 is associated with pancreatic cancer risk in Northern Ireland. We conducted a population-based case–control study of 475 incident pancreatic cancer cases diagnosed in 2019–2020 and 8,316 cancer-free controls from the Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA), all aged ≥ 50 years. Annual PM 2.5 concentrations at 1 km ² spatial resolution were obtained from modelled surfaces. Seven-year mean exposure was assigned to residential postcodes and categorised into tertiles (< 7.46, 7.46–9.66 and > 9.66 µg/m ³ ). Logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for PM 2.5 tertiles and per-µg/m ³ increases. Models were adjusted for age (5-year bands), sex, smoking status and area-level deprivation. Stratified analyses were conducted by sex, age group (< 74/≥74 years), smoking status, urban–rural classification and histologically confirmed adenocarcinoma. Compared with the lowest PM 2.5 tertile, the fully adjusted OR for pancreatic cancer was 0.90 (95% CI 0.69, 1.16) for medium exposure and 1.02 (95% CI 0.79, 1.31) for high exposure. When modelled continuously, each 1 µg/m ³ increase in PM 2.5 was associated with an OR of 1.02 (95% CI 0.97, 1.06). Stratified analyses showed no clear differences in associations across subgroups. In this population-based study in Northern Ireland, long-term exposure to ambient PM 2.5 was not associated with pancreatic cancer risk. These findings provide an important contribution to current limited evidence regarding air pollution and pancreatic cancer in regions with relatively low ambient PM 2.5 concentrations.
SN - 2045-2322
ER -