Breast Cancer Report

I will be brief here because I am going to link you to a handout that should answer most of your questions.  The best part in highlighting this report by the Institute of Medicine(IOM) is that it was commissioned and certainly funded by, the Susan G Koman foundation.  I have donated and raced for Koman, so my money and probably some of yours, helped to pay for this.  We made this report on the environmental factors associated with breast cancer happen.  How AWESOME.
In this report, instead of reviewing the non genetic or non changeable factors (i.e. age and family history), things that we may have some control over, either personally or publicly (policy) were explored.  Remember though, there is always the unknown element and the under-the-skin piece.  The environmental factors in the report were broken down into the categories below.  I will give a quick overview and then I encourage you to go to the handout.  There are also plenty of news stories on this topic today.

• Evidence of Cause - certain types of hormone therapy, excess weight, esp. after menopause, alcohol consumption and medical radiation (yes, those scans I keep warning you about and railing against)(ionizing radiation), and to a less conclusive but still suggestive extent, smoking
• Evidence to Prevent - physical activity  - meaning that women who are the most physically active (but exactly the same in other ways) have less breast cancer
• Things that do NOT cause it - hair dyes and the other kind of radiation (non ionizing) found in microwaves and other electrical devices like cell phones
• Possible Associations- second hand smoke, any tobacco smoke and chemical pollutants, such as we find in gasoline fumes and the air we breathe
• Probable or Plausible Factors - scientists believe that the chemical BPA (discussed here recently) used in the making of plastics and banned in some countries could cause the cancer.  In other words, it makes scientific sense when studying it in the lab and in animials.

Please do not stop here - also read the handout which has more  information.
Disclaimer:  I am not sure if I have been open about all of this in my blogging, but heart disease, arthritis and breast cancer are in my family history.  I have at least two relatives who are breast cancer survivors and my paternal grandmother died of breast cancer long before my birth.  That being said, it is always a personal issue for me.