Benzo[a]pyrene carcinogenicity across organs and cancer stages: Molecular mechanisms and interactions with co-exposed chemicals.

Benzo[a]pyrene causes carcinogenic effects across multiple organs and cancer stages through complex, stage-dependent molecular mechanisms and interactions with co-exposed chemicals.

• Why it matters: Understanding BaP’s diverse carcinogenic pathways is crucial because human exposure is widespread and involves complex chemical mixtures, yet current knowledge is limited to specific mechanisms or settings.
• What they did: The authors synthesized classical and recent evidence from four dimensions—tissue-specific cancer occurrence, roles in initiation, promotion, and progression, molecular mechanisms, and chemical interactions—highlighting the multifaceted nature of BaP carcinogenicity.
• The result: This comprehensive framework advances risk assessment by emphasizing tissue-specific, stage-dependent, and interaction-driven processes, and advocates for omics approaches and realistic co-exposure studies to improve environmental health evaluations.