Synthetic Forever Chemical Found Widely in the Environment, Linked to Liver Cancer.

Keck School of Medicine of USC scientists discovers that a common man-made polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFA) may elevate the risk of liver cancer.

 New research links exposure to a synthetic chemical found widely in the environment to non-viral hepatocellular carcinoma, the most common type of liver cancer. Scientists from the Keck School of Medicine of USC conducted the study, which was published on August 8, 2022,in their blood

 The chemical, called perfluorobutane sulfate or PFO, is one of a class of man-made chemicals known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFA. Used in a wide range of consumer and industrial products, these chemicals are sometimes called forever chemicals because they break down very slowly and accumulate in the environment and human tissue, including the liver. 

 Earlier research in animals has indicated that PFA  exposure increases the risk of liver cancer. However, this is the first study to confirm an association using human samples

 This builds on the existing research, but takes it one step further, said Jesse Goodrich, Ph.D, a postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Population and Public Health Sciences at the Keck School of Medicine. Liver cancer is one of the most serious endpoints in liver disease, and this is the first study in humans to show that PFA are associated with this disease.

 The chemical, called perfluorobutane sulfate or PFO, is one of a class of man-made chemicals known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFA. Used in a wide range of consumer and industrial products, these chemicals are sometimes called forever chemicals because they break down very slowly and accumulate in the environment and human tissue, including the liver. 

 Earlier research in animals has indicated that PFA, exposure increases the risk of liver cancer. However, this is the first study to confirm an association using human samples

 This builds on the existing research, but takes it one step further, said Jesse Goodrich, Ph.D, a postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Population and Public Health Sciences at the Keck School of Medicine. Liver cancer is one of the most serious endpoints in liver disease, and this is the first study in humans to show that PFA, are associated with this disease.

 Scientists discovered several types of PFA, in the blood samples that were taken before the participant developed liver cancer. The research revealed that the strongest association was between PFO, and liver cancer. It also showed that subjects in the top 10% of PFO, exposure were 4.5 times more likely to develop liver cancer than those with the lowest levels of PFO, 

  Chemical disrupts normal liver function

 The team of researchers was also able to illuminate the possible ways in which PFO, altered the normal function of the liver. Their evaluation of the samples found evidence that PFO, appears to alter the normal process of glucose metabolism,

  bile acid metabolism and the metabolism of a type of amino acid called branched-chain amino acids in the liver. 

 The disruption of normal metabolic processes in the liver can cause more fat to accumulate in the liver. This is a condition known as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease or NAFLD There has been a dramatic and unexplained rise in NAFLD around the globe in recent years. This is especially concerning because people with NAFLD have a much higher risk of developing liver cancer. NAFLD is expected to affect 30% of all adults in by 2030