Abstract
Introduction: Endometrial cancer is the most prevalent cancer in women, and heavy metals, including cadmium, are among the factors associated with cancer development. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between cadmium exposure and the risk of endometrial cancer using a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Materials and Methods: In this systematic review and meta-analysis, which was conducted by the PRISMA guidelines, several databases, including PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane, and Google Scholar search engine, were searched without time restrictions until August 8, 2023. Data analysis was performed using STATA 14 software, and statistical significance was considered at P < 0.05.
Results: The results of the analysis of six studies involving a total of 160,043 women (2282 in the case group and 157761 in the control group) showed that cadmium exposure had no significant effect on the risk of endometrial cancer development (OR: 1.02, 95% CI: 0.92-1.13). Furthermore, there was no statistically significant association between menopause and the risk of endometrial cancer development (OR: 3.91, 95% CI: 0.50–30.73). Additionally, there was no statistically significant association between body mass index >25 kg/m2 and the risk of endometrial cancer development (OR: 1.04, 95% CI: 0.86–1.26), with smoking and the risk of endometrial cancer development (OR: 0.91, 95% CI: 0.61–1.36) too. Furthermore, there was no statistically significant association between hormone therapy and the risk of endometrial cancer development (OR: 0.81, 95% CI: 0.63–1.04) as well.
Conclusion: Our study demonstrated that cadmium exposure is not associated with an increased risk of endometrial cancer. However, further research in this area is recommended due to the limited number of studies available.
Registration: This study has been compiled based on the PRISMA checklist, and its protocol was registered on the PROSPERO (ID: CRD42023462640).