Oral contraceptive (OC) use is associated with decreased risks of several cancers and current use increases risk for breast cancer. Most studies are limited to women who used early generation OCs—which contained higher estrogen concentrations and androgenic progestins compared to drugs used today. Research suggests that newer drugs are still associated with early breast cancer risk, however the influence on other cancers... more »

Breast cancer represents a major public health problem. In 2017, >250,000 women received a first diagnosis of invasive and >60,000 of non-invasive breast cancer in the US. This is a heterogeneous disease with respect to morphologic, molecular and genomic features, defining subtypes with distinct etiology and clinical behavior. Understanding the causes of different subtypes is needed to improve risk assessment and inform... more »

Obesity and breast cancer are leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Evidence strongly suggests that certain periods of life, including those during fetal development and pregnancy, influence risk of breast cancer later in life. Environmental chemicals may increase breast cancer risk-especially during pregnancy-by mimicking estrogen and other hormones. Epigenomic signatures present in the placenta uniquely capture... more »

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in US women. Breast density, usually measured from mammograms, is a strong risk factor for breast cancer and is correlated with many other risk factors, but it is unknown whether changes in breast density reflect changes in breast cancer risk. Importantly, breast density provides a measure of breast cancer risk during menopause when endogenous hormone levels are changing and breast... more »

Follow people who had a partial mastectomy for DCIS and post surgery treatments and actions, including physical factors, behavioral changes, diet changes, increases in exercise, stress reduction, any change of geography. Follow them for up to 10 years to find patterns that reduce the return of the cancer.

Emerging data suggest that exposure to toxicants during key life stages, such as puberty, alter breast development and influence cancer risk. A comprehensive measure of environmental exposures (e.g. air pollutants, parabens, phenols, pesticides) at puberty could link to future breast cancer associated diagnoses (benign breast disease, atypical ductal hyperplasia, ductal carcinoma in situ, invasive breast cancer) identified... more »

It is known that indoor burning of fuel for heating or cooking releases carcinogens. Little is known about the impact of indoor air pollution from wood-burning stoves or fireplaces on breast cancer risk. We suggest collecting information on the use of indoor wood burning stoves and/or wood burning heat sources so that we can study the relationship between exposure to the resulting fine particle pollution and breast cancer.... more »

Women of African, compared to European, ancestry in the US are 2-3x more likely to be diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer. The causes are unknown, but striking disparities in exposure to a number of potential carcinogens have been identified. Quantifying environmental exposures and linking to electronic health records for breast cancer associated diagnoses would define the extent of disparities, chemical associations... more »

Hair dyes are commonly used in today’s society, but the long-term health effects are not known. Many hair dyes contain chemicals that are thought to be potentially carcinogenic. Studies have suggested that hair dying may be associated with an increased risk of lymphoma and possibly breast cancer; however, few prospective studies have been conducted. Given the extensive use of hair dyes, particularly among women, even... more »

EDCs are widespread in consumer products, air, and drinking water. Cancer treatments (such as tamoxifen and aromatase inhibitors for breast cancers) depend on altering the body's hormone levels. All of Us could evaluate whether EDCs interfere with cancer treatments. This study would involve assessing EDC exposure in patients during treatment and evaluating hormonal outcomes and disease progression outcomes.

In the U.S., about 1.6 million women a year undergo diagnostic breast biopsy. Although a history of breast biopsy is associated with increased breast cancer risk, the majority of biopsies range from benign to preinvasive disease. Characterization of breast biopsy tissues and breast imaging studies among women referred to diagnostic breast biopsy may facilitate the identification of histologic and radiologic biomarkers... more »