State of the evidence 2017: an update on the connection between breast cancer and the environment

Abstract

BackgroundIn this review, we examine the continually expanding and increasingly compelling data linking radiation and various chemicals in our environment to the current high incidence of breast cancer.AbstractSingly and in combination, these toxicants may have contributed significantly to the increasing rates of breast cancer observed over the past several decades. Exposures early in development from gestation through adolescence and early adulthood are particularly of concern as they re-shape the program of genetic, epigenetic and physiological processes in the developing mammary system, leading to an increased risk for developing breast cancer. In the 8 years since we last published a comprehensive review of the relevant literature, hundreds of new papers have appeared supporting this link, and in this update, the evidence on this topic is more extensive and of better quality than that previously available.ConclusionIncreasing evidence from epidemiological studies, as well as a better understanding of mechanisms linking toxicants with development of breast cancer, all reinforce the conclusion that exposures to these substances – many of which are found in common, everyday products and byproducts – may lead to increased risk of developing breast cancer. Moving forward, attention to methodological limitations, especially in relevant epidemiological and animal models, will need to be addressed to allow clearer and more direct connections to be evaluated.

Cost of Illness of Breast Cancer Patients on Chemotherapy in Addis Ababa Public Hospitals, the Case of Tikur Anbessa Specialized Teaching Hospital-Cross-Sectional Types of Study

“…In both cases, there was convincing evidence that consuming alcoholic drinks increases the risk of this cancer and lactation protects against it. Abdominal fatness and adult weight gain are probably causes of this cancer and physical Activity probably protects against it [2]. A woman's life time risk is estimated as 9%; for an individual woman, the risk of developing breast cancer is largely based on age, for instance, for ages 30 to 39, the risk is 0.43%, whereas for ages 60 to 69, the risk is 3.65%.…”

“…In addition to age, the following are the possible risk factors for breast cancer are: fewer births, later age at first full-term pregnancy, not having breastfed, early age at menarche, irregular menses, late menopause, use of exogenous hormone (e.g. oral contraceptives, combined hormone therapy), obesity, physical inactivity, alcohol consumption, family history of breast cancer are some of the risk factors mentioned above [2][3][4][5].…”

Environmental Carcinogenesis and Transgenerational Transmission of Carcinogenic Risk: From Genetics to Epigenetics

“…The mammary gland is an organ characterized by a high degree of plasticity due to the various conformations and functions that it must fulfill across life and, particularly, during lactation [60]. It is not surprising that the tumors most directly related to endocrine disruptors, breast [61] and prostate cancer [62], have been among the most rapidly increasing in the world in the last few decades.…”

Long‐term exposure to extremely low‐dose of nicotine and 4‐(methylnitrosamino)‐1‐(3‐pyridyl)‐1‐butanone (NNK) induce non‐malignant breast epithelial cell transformation through activation of the a9‐nicotinic acetylcholine receptor‐mediated signaling pathway

“…More than 70% of breast cancers sporadically originate from chronic and repeated exposure to environmental carcinogens, through a multi‐step process, from a non‐cancerous stage to a pre‐cancerous stage and then to a malignant stage . We previously developed a breast‐cell carcinogenesis model that mimics the sporadic development of breast cancer associated with a long‐term exposure to low‐dose carcinogen .…”