Environment and breast cancer - the role of xenooestrogens in breast cancer

english

2002

volume 36, issue 1

Breast   Breast neoplasms   Cancer   Carcinogenesis   Neoplasm invasiveness   tumor   Xenooestrogens

Društvo radiologije in onkologije
(Obvezni izvod spletne publikacije)

The survival rate of breast cancer patients has not changed much in the last few decades in developed countries. In order to improve the efficacy of breast cancer prevention and treatment, the role of xenooestrogens in the mechanisms of its development has been evaluated. These industrial chemical bear little structural resemblance to each other and bind to the oestrogen receptors of exposed cells and/or trigger oestrogenic responses in laboratory test systems. Exposure to xenooestrogens has been regarded as a risk factor for carcinogenesis and a preventable cause of breast carcinoma. Several epidemiological and experimental studies in in vivo and in vitro conditions of the influence of xenooestrogens on the occurrence of breast cancer have been conducted in the last decades and have shown ambiguous results. No increase of breast carcinoma incidence could be found in women who were exposed to relatively high concentrations of xenooestrogens for extended periods and small quantities of these compounds that are present in the environment probably cannot act as etiological agents for the occurence of this disease. A multi step approach is suggested regarding the sequence of studies and measures that should be taken to further assess the importance of xenooestrogens on breast cancer carcinogenesis.

16.09.2009