Environmental Influences on Mammographic Breast Density in California: A Strategy to Reduce Breast Cancer Risk

Barbara A. Cohn and Mary Beth Terry
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Barbara A. Cohn: Child Health and Development Studies, Public Health Institute, Berkeley, CA 94709, USA
Mary Beth Terry: Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center and Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 23, 1-9

Abstract: State legislation in many U.S. states, including California, mandates informing women if they have dense breasts on screening mammography, meaning over half of their breast tissue is comprised of non-adipose tissue. Breast density is important to interpret screening sensitivity and is an established breast cancer risk factor. Environmental chemical exposures may play an important role in this, especially during key windows of susceptibility for breast development: in utero, during puberty, pregnancy, lactation, and the peri-menopause. There is a paucity of research, however, examining whether environmental chemical exposures are associated with mammographic breast density, and even less is known about environmental exposures during windows of susceptibility. Now, with clinical breast density scoring being reported routinely for mammograms, it is possible to find out, especially in California, where there are large study populations that can link environmental exposures during windows of susceptibility to breast density. Density scores are now available throughout the state through electronic medical records. We can link these with environmental chemical exposures via state-wide monitoring. Studying the effects of environmental exposure on breast density may provide valuable monitoring and etiologic data to inform strategies to reduce breast cancer risk.

Keywords: mammographic breast density; breast cancer; environmental chemical exposures; cohort; prevention; California; BI-RADS (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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