Environmental Factors-November 2021: Increasing Evidence Link Air Pollution with Breast Cancer

“Given the high incidence of breast cancer and the widespread exposure to the environment, including air pollution, our research can have significant public health implications,” he said. Environmental and cancer epidemiology NIEHS group.

“Developing more accurate exposure models and applying them to far more research populations is essential for studying air pollutants and breast cancer risk,” White said. (Photo courtesy of Steve McCaw / NIEHS)

Breast cancer accounts for 30% of newly diagnosed invasive cancers in women, the American Cancer Society reports.In addition, population-based data Significant and steady increase in breast cancer From 1935 to 2015, especially among young women (25-39 years old).

This condition is known or suspected to be associated with many environmental factors.

“These factors need greater consideration as a contributor to these higher rates,” White said. “There has been no significant progress in reducing the incidence of breast cancer due to the identified risk factors.”

The challenge for scientists and healthcare professionals is Established risk factorsPostmenopausal obesity and alcohol consumption have a small impact on the overall likelihood of developing breast cancer.

“But these modest effects do not necessarily lead to a lack of public health importance,” White said. “To better understand how the environment contributes to breast cancer risk, we need to understand how different environmental factors work together. This helps identify key factors. And hopefully, we can make progress by reducing the most important exposures. “

Studies have shown that, in general, keeping your body active, maintaining a healthy weight, and eating a nutritious diet can reduce your chances of developing breast cancer. (Photo courtesy of rawpixel / Shutterstock.com)

Document the effects of air pollution

According to recent studies, air pollution can be one of those major exposures. Such pollution, found around the world, is a complex mixture of solid and liquid particles and gases.

2018, white Review We identified 17 studies on the risk of breast cancer associated with air pollution. Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and nitrogen oxides (both traffic-related air pollution proxes) were associated with breast cancer.

Three years later, the results of the updated review showed that long-term NO2 exposure could be reduced. Reduce the incidence of breast cancer..

NIEHS Sister study Is a major resource in research on environmental factors and breast cancer. In this study, White and her group Areas with a lot of air pollution There was a high risk of developing breast cancer.Risks are geographically different due to different sources of pollution throughout the United States (see) Side bar For more information. )

Fundamental results

“Some of the many different compounds in air pollution can act as endocrine disruptors and affect hormonal pathways,” she said. “The scientific literature makes it fairly clear that endocrine disturbances can affect the development of breast cancer.”

“We want to know if exposure to certain endocrine disrupting and carcinogenic chemicals in air pollution leads to an increased likelihood of breast cancer in later years,” White said.

Breast cancer can take a long time to develop, so recent exposures may not be the most appropriate. In addition, studies examining only exposure to air pollution at later points in life may not explain the effects of previous exposures.

Advance

White is interested in breast cancer research that takes into account historical levels of exposure to pollutants. Her team plans to study how exposure to air pollution, especially during childbirth, is associated with breast cancer risk decades later.

She said black women needed better expression in these studies.

Over time, her team will increasingly consider interactions between multiple sources of exposure and different compounds. This approach applies to projects that examine housing exposure to industrial carcinogenic emissions and how certain types of emissions work together to affect breast cancer risk.

White further explained the goals of future research.

• Characterize the mixture of air pollutants and their contribution to breast cancer risk.
• Explore racial and ethnic health inequalities.
• Consider the effects of air pollutants throughout your life course, especially throughout your early life.

According to White, these considerations can lead to deeper insights into how air pollution affects the risk of breast cancer.

According to White, health inequalities are part of the equation. Communities with the highest exposure to air and industrial pollutants tend to be predominantly colored. (Photo courtesy of pixelheadphoto digitalskillet / Shutterstock.com)

Solve a problem

At NIEHS, White’s team seeks to identify exposures that can be reduced by either policy changes or actions that women can take on their own.

According to White, the concept of location-based health is important. Where people live can be important for assessing the risk of developing breast cancer, receiving appropriate treatment, and estimating short-term and long-term survival after diagnosis.

“As a result of our work, we want more widespread recognition that air pollution is involved in the risk of breast cancer,” she said. “This perception can influence policies related to acceptable air pollution exposure levels and can help reduce the incidence of breast cancer.”

Quote:
White AJ.. 2021. Invited Perspectives: Air Pollution and Breast Cancer Risk: Current Evidence and Next Steps. Environmental health outlook. 129 (5): 51302.

Gabet S, Lemarchand C, Guénel P, Slama R.. 2021. Breast Cancer Risk Related to Air Pollution Exposure: Impact Estimate Meta-Analysis and Subsequent Health Impact Assessment. Environmental health outlook. 129 (5): 57012.

Lima SM, Kehm RD, Swett K, Gonsalves L, Terry MB.. 2020. Trends in the incidence of sporadic and breast cancer in US women under the age of 40 from 1935 to 2015. JAMANetwOpen. 2; 3 (3): e200929.

White AJ, Keller JP, Zhao S, Carol R, Kaufman JD, Sandler DP.. 2019. Air Pollution, Particulate Mouth Clustering, and Breast Cancer in Sister Studies: A Cohort Throughout the United States. Environmental health outlook. 127 (10): 107002.

White AJ, Blood Show PT, Hamra GB.. 2018. Air Pollution and Breast Cancer: Review. Curr Epidemiol Rep. 5 (2): 92–100.

(Carroll Kelly is the Editor-in-Chief of the NIEHS Communications and Public Relations Office.)