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Evidence that High Calcium and Vitamin D Intake Decrease the Risk of Breast Cancer in Premenopausal Women: Implications for Breast Cancer Prevention and Screening

Authors: NA

Abstract

Early breast cancer detection saves lives, but our ability to prevent breast cancer is limited by the absence of known environmental risk factors comparable to tobacco in the pathogenesis of lung cancer. Breast cancer risk is increased by long menstrual life and nulliparity, and reduced by the prophylactic use of the specific estrogen receptor modulators tamoxifen1 and raloxifene.2 Hormonal contraceptive drugs probably do not increase breast cancer risk, but prolonged postmenopausal estrogen replacement therapy to prevent involutional diseases clearly does.3 Brief courses of estrogen to control acute menopausal symptoms may not entail this risk. Postmenopausal obesity,4 and high alcohol consumption5 are probable breast cancer risk factors.

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