Bates et al. (2023) developed a cancer risk assessment framework to evaluate dietary carcinogens. The framework 1) evaluates gene mutation as an early key event of cancer development; 2) considers the dose metric appropriate based on mode of action understanding; and 3) integrates the appropriate dose metric category with relevant exposure data to evaluate dose response options and cancer level of concern for the specified exposure scenario. Here, we test the framework with three demonstrated rodent carcinogens with varying human cancer assessments and underlying cancer biology: acrylamide, aflatoxin B1, and β-myrcene. While traditional cancer assessment approaches might characterize these chemicals as potential human carcinogens based primarily on rodent tumorigenicity data, the framework evaluates the cancer MOA in the context of exposure patterns to provide more information on conditions that may increase risk. We found that mutation is an early key event for aflatoxin B1 carcinogenicity, and linear low-dose extrapolation is an appropriate approach. In contrast, MOA data support a dose threshold-based approach for acrylamide and β-myrcene, and their respective dietary consumption patterns suggest a low concern for cancer. The framework provides a more nuanced approach to cancer risk assessment and provides for a more informed risk management decision.
This research was supported by IAFNS Food & Chemical Safety Committee