Androgens linked to breast cancer in young women

	Tweet

High levels of ‘male’ hormones, or androgens, in young women apparently raise their risk of developing breast cancer, according to new research.

Androgens are normally present in women, albeit at much lower levels than in men. Elevated androgen levels have been linked with breast cancer in studies of postmenopausal women, but it was unclear if this also applied to premenopausal women.

In the current study, in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Dr. Rudolf Kaaks, from the International Agency for Research on Cancer in Lyon, France, and colleagues compared androgen levels in 370 premenopausal women who were later diagnosed with breast cancer with levels found in 726 similar women without breast cancer.

The likelihood of developing of breast increased significantly as levels of testosterone and androstenedione rose.

The absolute risks of women younger than 40 years developing breast cancer over a 10-year period ranged from 2.6 percent for those with the highest testosterone levels to 1.5 percent among those with the lowest levels.

The study “provides strong evidence that the risk of breast cancer among premenopausal women is directly related to circulating levels of testosterone and androstenedione,” Kaaks’ team concludes.

Further studies, however, are needed to see if lifestyle changes or other interventions can lower these levels and reduce the cancer risk.

SOURCE: Journal of the National Cancer Institute, May 18, 2005.

RELATED STORIES:
High-carb diet may increase breast cancer risk   New breast imaging detects smallest tumors   Weight gain worsens breast cancer survival   Implants after mastectomy don’t harm survival   Broccoli compound arrests breast cancer cell growth   Mammogram Accuracy Reduced In Overweight Women   Processed Soy Products Linked To Tumour Growth   New tool predicts benefit of mammograms   Gene mutations tied to less invasive breast cancer   Mental impairment common with breast cancer   October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month   New pill helps breast cancer care

Comments

[ + Post Your Own ]

Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Armenian Medical Network's stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.

There are no comments for this entry yet. [ + Comment here + ]