Environment and Breast Cancer: Science Review

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Families and friends of women touched by breast cancer are calling for increased attention to research into the environmental causes - any factors that are not hereditary. The goal is to find causes of breast cancer that can be reduced or eliminated to prevent the disease.

To build an evidence-based strategy for preventing breast cancer, Susan G. Komen for the Cure invited Silent Spring Institute and their partners at Harvard University, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, and the University of Southern California to assess the scientific evidence on environmental causes. In the first year, the team reviewed areas of emerging research that promise to reveal new opportunities for risk reduction:

environmental pollutants
dietary factors
body size and shape
physical activity
interactions of these factors with inherited genes

What is Cancer?

Cancer is the uncontrolled spread and growth of abnormal cells.

Some people are born with abnormal cells. Sometimes, changes in cells happen later. Cancer can start anywhere in the body and is affected by a variety of things that go on for a long time both inside and outside our bodies.

Is There a Connection Between Breast Cancer Risk and Environment?

Because established risk factors for breast cancer account for less than half of all cases, scientists believe environment may play a role in this disease.

It is possible that early exposure to some environmental factors increases the risk for breast cancer later in life. Environment means everything except inherited factors, including:

Exposure to chemicals
Diet and lifestyle choices

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Cornell University

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