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 aromatase 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.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Hankinson SE, Colditz GA, Willett WC (2004) Towards an integrated model for breast cancer etiology: the lifelong interplay of genes, lifestyle, and hormones. Breast Cancer Res 6:213–8.
Cummings SR, Eckert S, Krueger KA, et al. (1999) The effect of raloxifene on risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women: results from the MORE randomized trial. Multiple Outcomes of Raloxifene Evaluation. JAMA 281:2189–97.
Cuzick J, Powles T, Veronesi U, et al. (2003) Overview of the main outcomes in breast-cancer prevention trials. Lancet 361:296–300.
Key T, Appleby P, Barnes I, et al. (2002) Endogenous sex hormones and breast cancer in postmenopausal women: reanalysis of nine prospective studies. J Natl Cancer Inst 94:606–16.
Missmer SA, Eliassen AH, Barbieri RL, et al. (2004) Endogenous estrogen, androgen, and progesterone concentrations and breast cancer risk among postmenopausal women. J Natl Cancer Inst 96:1856–65.
Kaaks R, Rinaldi S, Key TJ, et al. (2005) Postmenopausal serum androgens, oestrogens and breast cancer risk: the European prospective investigation into cancer and nutrition. Endocr Relat Cancer 12:1071–82.
Tworoger SS, Sluss P, Hankinson SE (2006) Association between plasma prolactin concentrations and risk of breast cancer among predominately premenopausal women. Cancer Res 66:2476–82.
Eliassen AH, Missmer SA, Tworoger SS, et al. (2006) Endogenous steroid hormone concentrations and risk of breast cancer among premenopausal women. JNCI 98:1406–15.
Tworoger SS, Missmer SA, Eliassen AH, et al. (2006) The association of plasma DHEA and DHEA sulfate with breast cancer risk in predominantly premenopausal women. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 15:967–71.
Henderson BE, Feigelson HS (2000) Hormonal carcinogenesis. Carcinogenesis 21:427–33.
Kabuto M, Akiba S, Stevens RG, et al. (2000) A prospective study of estradiol and breast cancer in Japanese women. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 9:575–9.
Rosenberg CR, Pasternack BS, Shore RE, et al. (1994) Premenopausal estradiol levels and the risk of breast cancer: a new method of controlling for day of the menstrual cycle. Am J Epidemiol 140:518–25.
Thomas HV, Key TJ, Allen DS, et al. (1997) A prospective study of endogenous serum hormone concentrations and breast cancer risk in premenopausal women on the island of Guernsey. Br J Cancer 75:1075–9.
Helzlsouer KJ, Alberg AJ, Bush TL, et al. (1994) A prospective study of endogenous hormones and breast cancer. Cancer Detect Prev 18:79–85.
Wysowski DK, Comstock GW, Helsing KJ, et al. (1987) Sex hormone levels in serum in relation to the development of breast cancer. Am J Epidemiol 125:791–9.
Kaaks R, Berrino F, Key T, et al. (2005) Serum sex steroids in premenopausal women and breast cancer risk within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). J Natl Cancer Inst 97:755–65.
Liao DJ, Dickson RB (2002) Roles of androgens in the development, growth, and carcinogenesis of the mammary gland. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol 80:175–89.
Ebeling P, Koivisto VA (1994) Physiological importance of dehydroepiandrosterone. Lancet 343:1479–81.
Seymour-Munn K, Adams J (1983) Estrogenic effects of 5-androstene-3 beta, 17 beta-diol at physiological concentrations and its possible implication in the etiology of breast cancer. Endocrinology 112:486–91.
Micheli A, Muti P, Secreto G, et al. (2004) Endogenous sex hormones and subsequent breast cancer in premenopausal women. Int J Cancer 112:312–8.
Page JH, Colditz GA, Rifai N, et al. (2004) Plasma adrenal androgens and risk of breast cancer in premenopausal women. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 13:1032–6.
Wang DY, Allen DS, De Stavola BL, et al. (2000) Urinary androgens and breast cancer risk: results from a long-term prospective study based in Guernsey. Br J Cancer 82:1577–84.
Helzlsouer KJ, Gordon GB, Alberg AJ, et al. (1992) Relationship of prediagnostic serum levels of dehydroepiandrosterone and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate to the risk of developing premenopausal breast cancer. Cancer Res 52:1–4.
Freeman ME, Kanyicska B, Lerant A, et al. (2000) Prolactin: structure, function, and regulation of secretion. Physiol Rev 80:1523–631.
Clevenger CV, Furth PA, Hankinson SE, et al. (2003) The role of prolactin in mammary carcinoma. Endocr Rev 24:1–27.
Partridge RK, Hahnel R (1979) Prolactin receptors in human breast carcinoma. Cancer 43:643–6.
Wang DY, De Stavola BL, Bulbrook RD, et al. (1992) Relationship of blood prolactin levels and the risk of subsequent breast cancer. Int J Epidemiol 21:214–21.
Hankinson SE, Willett WC, Manson JE, et al. (1998) Plasma sex steroid hormone levels and risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women. J Natl Cancer Inst 90:1292–9.
Sodergard R, Backstrom T, Shanbhag V, et al. (1982) Calculation of free and bound fractions of testosterone and estradiol-17 beta to human plasma proteins at body temperature. J Steroid Biochem 16:801–10.
Santoro N, Lasley B, McConnell D, et al. (2004) Body size and ethnicity are associated with menstrual cycle alterations in women in the early menopausal transition: The Study of Women’s Health across the Nation (SWAN) Daily Hormone Study. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 89:2622–31.
Landgren BM, Collins A, Csemiczky G, et al. (2004) Menopause transition: Annual changes in serum hormonal patterns over the menstrual cycle in women during a nine-year period prior to menopause. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 89:2763–9.
Desreux J, Kebers F, Noel A, et al. (2003) Effects of a progestogen on normal human breast epithelial cell apoptosis in vitro and in vivo. Breast 12:142–9.
Gompel A, Somai S, Chaouat M, et al. (2000) Hormonal regulation of apoptosis in breast cells and tissues. Steroids 65:593–8.
Stute P, Wood CE, Kaplan JR, et al. (2004) Cyclic changes in the mammary gland of cynomolgus macaques. Fertil Steril 82 (Suppl 3):1160–70.
Adams JB (1998) Adrenal androgens and human breast cancer: a new appraisal. Breast Cancer Res Treat 51:183–8.
Tworoger SS, Eliassen AH, Rosner B, et al. (2004) Plasma prolactin concentrations and risk of postmenopausal breast cancer. Cancer Res 64:6814–9.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2008 Springer
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Hankinson, S.E. (2008). Circulating Levels of Sex Steroids and Prolactin in Premenopausal Women and Risk of Breast Cancer. In: Li, J.J., Li, S.A., Mohla, S., Rochefort, H., Maudelonde, T. (eds) Hormonal Carcinogenesis V. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 617. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-69080-3_15
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-69080-3_15
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-0-387-69078-0
Online ISBN: 978-0-387-69080-3
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesBiomedical and Life Sciences (R0)