Fine particulate matter pollution in the atmosphere increases breast cancer risk.
ATMOSPHERIC FINE PARTICULATE MATTER POLLUTION around homes and workplaces increases breast cancer risk. We have a new breast cancer risk factor, according to research presented at the European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) 2023 Congress.
I am involved in the management of many women (and the occasional man) with breast cancer.
This study is the first to examine the association between atmospheric pollution (at home and in the workplace) and the risk of developing breast cancer.
Today, I want to examine the XENAIR study. I will then remind you of some lifestyle tools to reduce your breast cancer risk.
A New Study
The XENAIR study carried out on the prospective, longitudinal E3N cohort a year ago showed an increased risk for breast cancer after exposure to five atmospheric pollutants.
The project involved collaborating with several specialist teams from France and the United Kingdom.
Historical research only examined fine particulate exposure where women were living. According to the current authors, those studies demonstrated small or no effects on breast cancer risk.
Air Pollution Study Details
Researchers followed women — since 1990 — in the French national E3N cohort.
They tracked sedentary lifestyles, physical activity, alcohol and tobacco, medication use, hormonal treatments, and more.
The investigators also examined the participants’ environment, residential history, and physical and mental health evolution.
They then conducted a case-control study, comparing 5222 breast cancer cases and 5222 matched controls (free of cancer at the time of the case’s diagnosis).
5 Pollutants Implicated in Breast Cancer Occurrence
Of the eight air pollutants studied, the XENAIR study implicated these air pollutants in breast cancer occurrence:
👉 Nitrogen dioxide (NO2): Mainly from road traffic, would increase breast cancer risk by about one-tenth.
👉 Particulate matter: PM10, from wood heating, would add just under one-tenth (eight percent), while PM2.5 resulting from road fuels, construction sites, and the manufacturing industry would increase risk by about one-eighth (a relative 13 percent).
👉 Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP): Formed during incomplete combustion of organic matter (e.g., cigarette smoke, open burning of plants, exhaust fumes) increases risks by about one-seventh (15 percent).
👉 Polychlorobiphényles (PCB153) from industrial combustions increased breast cancer by about one-fifth.
What The Findings Mean
The study authors put the research findings in clear terms:
Improving air quality could prevent nearly one in ten breast cancers in France.
This finding is true if women were exposed to pollutant concentrations below the current World Health Organization recommended thresholds.
We could prevent one percent of breast cancers by following the European thresholds (less protective than the WHO ones).
My Take — A New Breast Cancer Risk Factor
We can do better. Improving air quality can cut the chances of developing major illnesses (including breast cancer).
Fine particle pollutants can penetrate the lungs, enter the bloodstream, and be absorbed into the breast and other tissues.
We have evidence that air pollutants can alter the breast architecture. Do pollutants allow cells in breast tissue with pre-existing mutations to promote cancer? How much of a role does inflammation play?
Reducing Your Breast Cancer Risk
Now that we have examined air pollution and breast cancer risk, here are 9 of my favorite lifestyle recommendations from the Breast Cancer Research Foundation:
1. Aim for a healthy weight (and avoid weight gain).
The breast cancer risk and weight relationship is complex.
According to the National Cancer Institute, having too much weight after menopause increases breast cancer risk and can worsen outcomes after a diagnosis, irrespective of age.
The good news is that dropping weight and maintaining a healthy diet can decrease breast cancer risk.
A 2020 study from Dr. Walter Willett showed that women over 50 who maintained a weight loss of at least 10 pounds could potentially lower their future breast cancer risk by about one-third.
2. Eat more fruit, vegetables, and whole grains.
A diet low in fruits and vegetables is associated with a [slightly] higher breast cancer — particularly estrogen receptor (ER)–negative breast cancer.
Cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, etc.) and leafy greens are also high in carotenoids — naturally occurring pigments in plants that act as antioxidants — which may be associated with a lower risk of ER-negative breast cancer.
3. Limit alcohol
Even moderate consumption — up to one standard drink daily for women and up to two for men — is linked with a higher breast cancer risk, particularly estrogen and progesterone-driven breast cancer.
4. Quit smoking
The American Lung Association offers resources to help.
5. Move
Physical activity plays a role in reducing breast cancer risk. Moreover, strength and cardio training can reduce recurrence chances after a breast cancer diagnosis.
Whether you run, walk, garden, or play tennis, if you’re getting your heart rate up, you’re getting benefits.
6. Breastfeed if you’re able.
Breastfeeding may slightly drop your breast cancer risk, possibly because it lowers the number of menstrual cycles a woman has in her lifetime.
7. Evaluate your hormone use
Hormones (such as the pill) and menopausal hormone therapy (hormone replacement therapy or HRT) may potentially increase breast cancer risk.
This risk varies by individual, and for many women, the benefits of these therapies outweigh the potential harms.
You and your doctor can evaluate your family history of breast cancer, lifestyle, how long you’ve used these methods, and more.
8. Know your family history.
When many consider their family history of breast cancer, they tend to focus on their mother’s side. But it is as important to examine your paternal side, too. Breast cancer susceptibility genes sometimes present differently in men and women.
Understanding your family history can help guide conversations with your healthcare provider and better assess breast cancer screening recommendations and lifestyle changes you should pursue.
9. Consider your other options if you know you have a high risk.
If you already know you have a far-higher-than-normal risk of breast cancer — for example, because you carry a breast cancer–associated gene mutation — you may have additional ways to lower your risk, including surgery, medications, and heightened surveillance.
Please discuss your options with your doctor.
Thank you for reading “A New Breast Cancer Risk Factor.”
