Endogenous Carcinogens - Estrogen

New study firmly ties hormone use to breast cancer
By MARILYNN MARCHIONE The Associated Press Saturday, December 13, 2008; 5:47 PM


"SAN ANTONIO -- Taking menopause hormones for five years doubles the risk for breast cancer, according to a new analysis of a big federal study that reveals the most dramatic evidence yet of the dangers of these still-popular pills.
Even women who took estrogen and progestin pills for as little as a couple of years had a greater chance of getting cancer. And when they stopped taking them, their odds quickly improved, returning to a normal risk level roughly two years after quitting.
Collectively, these new findings are likely to end any doubt that the risks outweigh the benefits for most women..."



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BrooklynDodger(s) comment: The Dodger(s) bring(s) this news report to attention to make the point that cancers which appear without exogenous chemical exposure may arise from endogenous chemicals. The most potent risk factor for mammary cancer is being a woman (there are male mammary cancers, it might be that environmental causes of breast cancer are more feasibly studied in males because of lower population rates.) The risk factors for breast cancer quoted in the cancer control literature - late or no childbearing, low exercise, higher BMI, greater height, etc - are modifiers of the main effect.



The post also reminds the Dodger(s) that the common notion of 10-15 year latency for solid tumors applies to initiation stage carcinogens. If removal from exposure for 2 years reduces risk, then 2 years of exposure might be assumed to increase risk measurably. We probably all have some little tumors lurking, just waiting for a chemical to facility expansion of the clone.