Intrauterine environment, mammary gland mass and breast cancer risk

Abstract

Two intimately linked hypotheses on breast cancer etiology are described. The main postulate of the first hypothesis is that higher levels of pregnancy estrogens and other hormones favor the generation of a higher number of susceptible stem cells with compromised genomic stability. The second hypothesis postulates that the mammary gland mass, as a correlate of the number of cells susceptible to transformation, is an important determinant of breast cancer risk. A simple integrated etiological model for breast cancer is presented and it is indicated that the model accommodates most epidemiological aspects of breast cancer occurrence and natural history.