Circulating Levels of Sex Steroids and Prolactin in Premenopausal Women and Risk of Breast Cancer

摘要

The key role of the hormonal environment in breast cancer (BC) etiology is well documented. Reproductive factors such as parity and age at menopause influence BC risk and postmenopausal hormone use increases risk (1). Selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs), such as tamoxifen, decrease risk (2, 3) and aro-matase inhibitors decrease BC recurrence. Further, the association of circulating estrogen and androgen levels with BC risk is now established among postmenopausal women (4-6). However, little is known of the relationships between endogenous hormones and BC risk in premenopausal women. Determining the association between circulating hormones and BC risk provides insight into etiology and may help identify high-risk women who would benefit from increased screening or chemoprevention.