Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Plastic in the Food Chain and the Expected Pandemic of Cancer?

This commentary argues that the scientific community has not kept pace with the political and public recognition of plastic pollution as a potential cancer risk. The authors call for more research into how microplastics and plastic-associated chemicals may contribute to cancer through food chain exposure.

2019 Novel Approaches in Cancer Study 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Microscopic menace: exploring the link between microplastics and cancer pathogenesis

This review examines the growing evidence linking microplastic exposure to cancer development in humans. Microplastics can accumulate in the body and trigger inflammation, oxidative stress, and other biological changes associated with tumor growth. While more clinical research is needed, the review highlights that microplastics should be taken seriously as a potential factor in cancer risk.

2025 Environmental Science Processes & Impacts 8 citations
Article Tier 2

The Impact of Environmental Factors on Cancer Risk: A Comprehensive Review

This paper is not about microplastics in a specific research sense; it is a broad review of how environmental factors influence cancer risk, with no substantive microplastic content evident from the available abstract.

2023
Systematic Review Tier 1

From Exposure to Oncogenesis: the Role of Microplastics and Associated Pollutants in Cancer - a Literature Review

This literature review examined the growing evidence linking microplastic exposure to cancer development. Microplastics have been found in human lung, liver, and colon tissue, and research suggests they may promote cancer through chronic inflammation, oxidative stress, and by carrying known carcinogens like heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants into the body.

2025 International Journal of Innovative Technologies in Social Science
Article Tier 2

Micro(nano)plastics pollution and human health: How plastics can induce carcinogenesis to humans?

This review examines how microplastics and nanoplastics enter the human body through food, water, and air, and how they may contribute to cancer development. Common plastic types like polystyrene and PVC, along with toxic chemicals they carry such as PAHs and PCBs, have been linked to DNA damage, oxidative stress, and inflammation, all of which can promote cancer. The paper highlights that while the evidence is growing, more research is needed to understand the full cancer risk from chronic microplastic exposure.

2022 Chemosphere 367 citations
Article Tier 2

The Relationship Between Microplastics and Nanoplastics with Cancer: An Emerging Health Concern

This review explores the emerging relationship between micro- and nanoplastic exposure and cancer risk in humans. Researchers summarized evidence suggesting that microplastics can carry carcinogenic substances and may trigger inflammatory and oxidative stress pathways linked to tumor development. The study highlights that while early evidence raises concern, more research is needed to establish clear causal connections between plastic particle exposure and specific cancer types.

2024 International Journal of Hematology and Oncology 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Medical exposure to micro(nano)plastics: An exposure pathway with potentially significant harm to human health that should not be overlooked.

This paper identifies medical procedures — including intravenous infusions, dialysis, and surgical implants — as an underrecognized pathway for direct human exposure to micro- and nano-plastics. The authors argue that the medical community needs to assess and reduce plastic particle exposure from clinical materials and devices.

2024 The Science of the total environment
Article Tier 2

The micro(nano)plastics perspective: exploring cancer development and therapy

This review explores the emerging link between microplastics and cancer development. Microplastics can trigger chronic inflammation, oxidative stress, and hormone disruption, all of which are known pathways that may promote cancer growth. Interestingly, researchers are also studying whether engineered microplastics could be used as drug carriers for cancer therapy, though long-term effects remain unclear.

2025 Molecular Cancer 52 citations
Article Tier 2

From exposure to oncogenesis: a review on the multifaceted roles of microplastics in tumor initiation and progression

This review examined the evidence linking microplastic exposure to tumor initiation and progression, covering physical, chemical, and inflammatory mechanisms by which MPs may promote oncogenesis. The authors conclude that while current evidence is largely preclinical, accumulating data warrant serious concern about microplastics as environmental carcinogens.

2025 Journal of Translational Medicine
Article Tier 2

Evaluating the relationship between microplastics and nanoplastics contamination and diverse cancer types development

This review examines growing evidence that micro- and nanoplastics found in human tissues may contribute to cancer development through several pathways. These tiny particles can generate harmful molecules called reactive oxygen species, cause chronic inflammation, and disrupt cell growth signals, all of which are known to promote cancer. While long-term, high-level exposure likely poses the greatest risk, more research is needed to understand the full cancer-related dangers of microplastic exposure.

2025 Environmental Pollution 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics and Nanoplastics in Cancer Progression: Biology and Public Health

This review examines emerging evidence that microplastics and nanoplastics may contribute to cancer-related processes by crossing biological barriers and accumulating in tissues. The study highlights that these particles can cause oxidative stress, inflammation, DNA damage, and barrier dysfunction at the cellular level, and may promote tumor-supporting processes including angiogenesis and immune evasion.

2025 Biomedicines 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics and nanoplastics in healthcare: environmental persistence, health implications, and professional awareness

This review examines how micro- and nanoplastics have infiltrated ecosystems, food, water, and even human tissues, with particular focus on their relevance to healthcare settings — especially dentistry and orthodontics — where extensive plastic use generates microplastic debris from single-use items and clear aligners.

2025 Frontiers in Materials
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Contamination: A Rising Environmental Crisis With Potential Oncogenic Implications

This review examines how microplastics detected in human tissues — blood, placenta, and organs — may act as vectors for carcinogens, including adsorbed heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants, and discusses emerging evidence linking MP accumulation to oncogenic processes.

2025 Cureus
Article Tier 2

Rising Cancer Impact and Pollution as Hazards

This paper is not directly about microplastics; it is a broad overview of environmental causes of cancer, covering air and water pollution, industrial exposures, and workplace chemicals, and calls for regulatory action to reduce carcinogenic exposures.

2023 Preprints.org 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Insights into Healthcare Professionals’ Perceptions and Attitudes toward Nanotechnological Device Application: What Is the Current Situation in Glioblastoma Research?

This paper is not about microplastics; it is an exploratory review of healthcare professionals' perceptions and attitudes toward nanotechnological devices in glioblastoma cancer treatment.

2023 Biomedicines 1 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Plastic particles in medicine: A systematic review of exposure and effects to human health

Medical plastics including bags, containers, and administration sets release micro- and nanoplastics along with chemical additives that can interact with pharmaceutical constituents, creating an understudied route of direct human exposure. Both primary exposure (during medical treatment) and secondary environmental exposure (from hospital plastic waste disposal) represent potential health hazards.

2022 Chemosphere 78 citations
Article Tier 2

The environmental awareness of nurses as environmentally sustainable health care leaders: a mixed method analysis

This study surveyed nurses about their environmental sustainability knowledge and practices, finding that most have adequate awareness but face barriers to sustainable behavior in the workplace. While not directly about microplastics, the study highlights the role healthcare workers can play in reducing medical plastic waste, a significant source of microplastic pollution.

2024 BMC Nursing 45 citations
Article Tier 2

Rising Concern About the Carcinogenetic Role of Micro-Nanoplastics

This review examined the emerging concern that micro- and nanoplastics may play a role in cancer development, either directly or by carrying chemical carcinogens into the body. Researchers noted that while direct evidence is still limited, the rising incidence of certain cancers in younger populations alongside increasing environmental plastic contamination has raised important questions. The study calls for more focused research to understand whether long-term microplastic exposure may contribute to cancer risk and what preventive measures might be warranted.

2024 International Journal of Molecular Sciences 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics as emerging carcinogens: from environmental pollutants to oncogenic drivers

This review examines growing evidence that microplastics and nanoplastics may play a role in cancer development, with these particles found in human tumor tissues from the lungs, colon, stomach, breast, and other organs. The particles appear to promote cancer through chronic inflammation, oxidative stress, DNA damage, and disruption of key cancer-related signaling pathways. While direct proof of causation in humans is still lacking, the accumulating evidence from lab studies, animal experiments, and human tissue analysis suggests microplastics deserve serious attention as potential contributors to cancer risk.

2025 Molecular Cancer 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in perioperative practice: an emerging concern for surgical safety

This review highlights the emerging concern of microplastics in surgical environments, noting that single-use plastic equipment in operating rooms generates microplastic particles that can contaminate surgical sites and patient tissues, calling for greater awareness of MP exposure risks in perioperative settings.

2025 International Journal of Surgery Open
Article Tier 2

Detection and quantification of microplastics in various types of human tumor tissues

Researchers detected microplastics in 43% of tumor samples across lung, gastric, colorectal, cervical, and pancreatic cancers, with polystyrene, PVC, and polyethylene being the types found. In pancreatic tumors, microplastic presence was associated with fewer immune cells that fight cancer and more immune cells linked to tumor progression, suggesting microplastics may create conditions that help tumors evade the immune system.

2024 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 62 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics and Cancer: A Comprehensive Review of Their Impact on Tumor Progression and Mechanisms of Carcinogenesis

This comprehensive review examines the growing body of evidence linking microplastic exposure to various types of cancer, including colorectal, lung, liver, and breast cancers. Researchers found that microplastics and nanoplastics may promote tumor progression through mechanisms including oxidative stress, chronic inflammation, and disruption of cellular signaling pathways. While the evidence is still emerging, the study highlights the need for further research into the potential cancer-related risks of widespread microplastic exposure.

2025 Journal of Environmental Pathology Toxicology and Oncology 2 citations
Article Tier 2

The Environmental Hazards of Micro- and Nanoplastics

Researchers reviewed how microplastics — tiny plastic particles found everywhere in the environment — can enter the body, accumulate in tissues, and disrupt the immune, digestive, and nervous systems, with exposure linked to hormonal imbalances, chronic disease, and cancer risk.

2025 Advances in Biology & Earth Sciences 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Plastic pollution-Microplastics: Cancer related issues

This review examines how microplastics may contribute to cancer risk, summarizing evidence that ingested microplastics can cross the gut epithelium, accumulate in tissues, induce oxidative stress and inflammation, and carry carcinogenic chemical additives.

2025 World Journal of Biology Pharmacy and Health Sciences