Abstract IA11: Life course epidemiology and breast cancer: translating risk into prevention

Molecular histology may be conceptualized as the microscopic and molecular characteristics of normal tissues that are required for physiologic function. Over the life course, the molecular histology of the breast changes in response to physiological alterations, imparting spatial and temporal heterogeneity within the breasts of individuals and among women. These transitions contribute to the enormous range and imprecisely defined limits of what pathologists consider normal. Appreciation that molecular histology may reflect the cumulative influence of prior exposures linked to breast cancer risk, and may provide information about risk of developing breast cancer in the future, has stimulated interest in this topic. Unlike the study of breast cancer or its precursors, which represents a focal pathophysiologic deviation from normal, molecular histology, if assessable, would represent the state of the entire at-risk organ, based upon examination of a small tissue sample.The adult breast is characterized by well-developed terminal duct lobular units (TDLUs), which comprise the functional unit of milk production and represent the source of nearly all breast cancer precursors. Physiological changes in human breasts are likely driven by paracrine mechanisms, suggesting that tissue context and cellular topography are critical elements in physiology and pathophysiology. The breast undergoes profound changes with completion of childbearing and aging. Age-related TDLU involution may be c...
Source: Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention - Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Tags: Improving Cancer Risk Prediction for Prevention and Early Detection: Oral Presentations - Invited Abstracts Source Type: research