Medical Hypothesis: Xenoestrogens As Preventable Causes of Breast Cancer

Changes in documented risk factors for breast cancer and rates of screening cannot completely explain recent increases in incidence or mortality. Established risk factors for breast cancer, including genetics, account for at best 30% of cases. Most of these risk factors can be linked to total lifeti...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental health perspectives 1993-10, Vol.101 (5), p.372-377
Main Authors: Davis, Devra Lee, Bradlow, H. Leon, Wolff, Mary, Woodruff, Tracey, Hoel, David G., Anton-Culver, Hoda
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
550500 - Metabolism
550900 - Pathology
560300 - Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology
BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
BIOLOGICAL PATHWAYS
BODY
Breast cancer
Breast Neoplasms - chemically induced
Breast Neoplasms - epidemiology
Breasts
Cancer
CARCINOGENESIS
Case control studies
DISEASE INCIDENCE
DISEASES
ESTROGENS
Estrogens - biosynthesis
Female
Genes
GLANDS
HORMONES
Humans
MAMMARY GLANDS
Mortality
NEOPLASMS
ORGANS
PATHOGENESIS
Predisposing factors
RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT
Reviews and Commentaries
Risk Factors
STEROID HORMONES
Tumors
XENOBIOTICS
Xenobiotics - adverse effects
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Summary:Changes in documented risk factors for breast cancer and rates of screening cannot completely explain recent increases in incidence or mortality. Established risk factors for breast cancer, including genetics, account for at best 30% of cases. Most of these risk factors can be linked to total lifetime exposure to bio-available estrogens. Experimental evidence reveals that compounds such as some chlorinated organics, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), triazine herbicides, and pharmaceuticals affect estrogen production and metabolism and thus function as xenoestrogens. Many of these xenoestrogenic compounds also experimentally induce mammary carcinogenesis. Recent epidemiologic studies have found that breast fat and serum lipids of women with breast cancer contain significantly elevated levels of some chlorinated organics compared with noncancer controls. As the proportion of inherited breast cancer in the population is small, most breast cancers are due to acquired mutations. Thus, the induction of breast cancer in the majority of cases stems from interactions between host factors, including genetics and environmental carcinogens. We hypothesize that substances such as xenoestrogens increase the risk of breast cancer by mechanisms which include interaction with breast-cancer susceptibility genes. A series of major epidemiologic studies need to be developed to evaluate this hypothesis, including studies of estrogen metabolism, the role of specific xenoestrogenic substances in breast cancer, and relevant genetic-environmental interactions. In addition, experimental studies are needed to evaluate biologic markers of suspect xenoestrogens and biologic markers of host susceptibility and identify pathways of estrogenicity that affect the development of breast cancer. If xenoestrogens do play a role in breast cancer, reductions in exposure will provide an opportunity for primary prevention of this growing disease. Tests for estrogenicity could become critical screening tools with which to assess the potential health consequences of new and existing chemicals.
ISSN:0091-6765
1552-9924
DOI:10.1289/ehp.93101372