News & Events: Latest News
Source: Jeffrey Norris, UCSF Science Cafe
November 20, 2009
Community Forum Highlights Environmental Breast Cancer Risks
Breast cancer activists, scientists from across the nation and senior leaders from the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) have been meeting this week at Cavallo Point Lodge in Sausalito.
Their purpose is to review progress and future directions for collaborative research aimed at identifying environmental contributors to breast cancer risk.
Sponsored by the NIEHS and the Bay Area Breast Cancer and the Environment Research Center (BABCERC), the meeting began with a public forum and panel discussion Wednesday evening featuring NIEHS Director Linda Birnbaum, PhD. Ysabel Duron, local KRON 4 TV news anchor and founder of Latinas Contra Cancer, moderated the discussion as the panel fielded questions from the audience. BABCERC is one of four centers nationwide that studies environmental causes of breast cancer by focusing on mammary gland development and the growth of girls as young as age six. Early study results confirm that girls are reaching puberty earlier than in the past. In addition, the average age of puberty in girls appears to vary with ethnicity and socioeconomic class.
Developmental Window of Susceptibility
Breast tissue undergoing rapid growth may be especially susceptible to environmental influences. This idea is supported by animal studies, and by epidemiological studies that find an association between early exposure to radiation and subsequent cancer.
“Development is the most susceptible window that actually affects us long term,” Birnbaum said.
Each of the four centers coordinates lab research, population studies and community outreach. The centers include patient advocates as partners in the planning and implementation of research. Birnbaum noted that the centers, now in their sixth year, are a new model for community participation in major government-sponsored research projects.
