Testicular Tumors and Environmental Pollution: A Comparative Oncoepidemiology Study in the Campania Region from 2020 to 2023

Abstract

Simple Summary The Global Cancer Observatory (GCO) of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has reported a progressive global increase in cancer cases. The same trend is reported among pets, with more than 4.2 million cancer diagnoses in dogs annually. Similar causes or predisposing factors influence cancer development in both humans and animals. Dogs and cats develop tumors with morphological and biological characteristics that closely resemble human cancers, making them valuable translational models for human cancer therapy and sentinels of environmental exposure to carcinogens. Extrapolating veterinary cancer data can provide important information for a comparative approach to oncology and One Health. In this study, we analyzed cases of testicular tumors in humans and dogs, as well as environmental data from cities with testicular tumor occurrences. In these areas, severe contamination of soil and water was recorded. The analysis of oncological and environmental data suggests a strong correlation between the frequency of testicular tumors and the presence of environmental pollutants. These data highlight the potential of comparing cancer frequency and survival patterns between human and animal populations in an area or region over time for determining potential environmental triggers.