Arsenic exposures and prostate cancer risk: A multilevel meta-analysis

Previous studies found that arsenic exposures have been linked to prostate cancer risk. However, this finding has been inconsistent. The purpose of this paper was to estimate the effects of arsenic exposures on prostate cancer risk. We conducted a meta-analysis of epidemiologic studies of arsenic exposures and prostate cancer risk. We searched for both arsenic exposure and prostate cancer studies published until January 2021 from the following electronic databases: PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. Multilevel meta-analysis via random-effects modeling was used to examine the association between arsenic exposures and prostate cancer risk. There were 12 studies included with an effect size of 23. Arsenic exposure was determined from water and soil (n = 8), urinary measurements (n = 2), or self-reported questionnaire (n = 2). Overall, arsenic exposure was found to be statistically significantly associated with prostate cancer risk (Relative risk [RR] = 1.18, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.06 – 1.30). In the sub-analysis, arsenic exposure from water and soil was found to be statistically significantly associated with prostate cancer risk (RR= 1.22, 95% CI: 1.05 – 1.41). Data suggest that arsenic exposures may play a role in increasing prostate cancer risk. Further prospective studies are warranted to verify the association between arsenic exposure and prostate cancer risk. •This meta-analysis study is the first to evaluate the association between arsenic exposures and prostate cancer risk.•Multilevel meta-analysis was applied to incorporate multiple effect sizes per study for improved estimation efficiency.•This meta-analysis demonstrates arsenic exposures and their possible influence on increasing prostate cancer risk.