Elevated Hormone Levels Add Up to Increased Breast Cancer Risk, Research Finds

A study that looked at eight different sex and growth hormones found that the each additional elevated hormone level increased the risk of breast cancer in women by 16 percent. It has been known that post-menopausal women with high levels of hormones like estrogen and testosterone have a higher risk of breast cancer. The research found that elevated estrogen levels had the largest effect on breast cancer risk. In the study, the highest levels of circulating estrogens (estrone and estrogen), prolactin, and androgens (testosterone, androstenedione, DHEA, or DHEA-sulfate) were individually associated with between a 50 and 200 percent increase in risk. The number of different hormones elevated above normal increased risk further. So, for example, women with one elevated hormone had an increased risk of 10 percent, but the risk for women with five or six elevated hormone levels was doubled, and that for women with seven or eight was tripled. Researchers from the study say that models used to assess breast cancer risk could be improved by taking into account the levels of several sex and growth hormones.

Link to the article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111021074738.htm