(Reuters Health) – For people diagnosed with liver cancer, living in an area with heavy air pollution from industry, traffic or smoke is linked to lower odds of survival, a California study finds.

The association between levels of tiny particles known as PM 2.5 in the air and death from liver cancer or from any cause was strongest for people with the least advanced cancers, researchers report in the International Journal of Cancer.

“Our study suggests that liver cancer patients may be another susceptible group that could benefit from reductions in air pollution,” study co-author Sandrah Eckel of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles said by email.

The liver may be at a high risk because it is responsible for helping the body process toxic materials that enter from the outside, she added.

PM 2.5…