Ghazaleh Khalili Tanha - Department of Basic Sciences, Sari Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University, Sari, Iran
Ali Barzegar - Department of Basic Sciences, Sari Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University, Sari, Iran
Mohammad Shokrzadeh - Department of Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
Novin Nikbakhsh - Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran
Zarbakht Ansari - Department of Animal Sciences, Sari Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University, Sari, Iran

Growing evidences have revealed a positive association between organophosphorus pesticides and diseases like cancer. Located in northern Iran, Mazandaran Province is a region with the overuse of agricultural pesticides. Due to the extensive use of the pesticides like diazinon in rice paddies of Mazandaran for the control of Chilo suppressalis, and high incidence rate of cancer in this province, we analysed and compared diazinon in the serum samples of the breast-cancer patients with the healthy volunteers. This cross-sectional case-control study inludes ۱۰ breast-cancer patients and ۱۰ healthy controls. Diazinon was extracted with a mixture of acetone and diethyl ether (۱:۱ v/v) in acidic medium and the residue was analyzed by GC-MS instrument. Results showed the presence of ۰.۱۵۱ ppm diazinon in the serum of just one healthy subject. In conclusion, despite excessive use of diazinon in Mazandaran Province, no association was found between serum level of diazinon and the incidence of breast cancer.

Breast Cancer, Diazinon, Gas chromatography, Mazandaran province