Can Radon Exposure Cause Breast Cancer?

Breast cancer is a multifactorial disease, which means it can come from a variety of causes. For about 5 to 10% of people, it is a mutation inherited from the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene or another genetic mutation. "In mathematics, about 90% of breast cancers occur for other reasons," says Dr. J. Jaime Alberty, Breast Surgical Oncologist at Dubin Breast Center of Mount Sinai Hospital and Assistant Professor of Surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine. at Mount Sinai in New York.

Environmental exposures, lifestyle, family and personal history can all be factors. Given the many potential influences on breast cancer development over the course of life, it is difficult to designate a single cause as the cause of a particular case. But "we know that women can do some things to reduce their risk of breast cancer, such as a better lifestyle, a better diet, and not being obese," he said. declared.

As part of these general recommendations to reduce risks, doctors also advise you to limit your exposure to carcinogens or carcinogens in the environment. Chemicals that mimic the effects of estrogen, such as bisphenol-A, have recently drawn attention to a possible link with breast cancer. Other elements present in the environment could also increase the risk of breast cancer, and some researchers wonder if radon is one of them.

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The National Cancer Institute reports that "radon is a radioactive gas released by the normal disintegration of uranium, thorium and radium elements in rocks and soil". It can also spread in groundwater. It is odorless, tasteless, invisible and "does what radioactive things do, which is decay. It breaks down into new particles, "says Dr. David P. Carbone, director of the Thoracic Center and professor of medicine at the James Cancer Hospital of Ohio State University in Columbus. "One of these particles is called an alpha particle, that is, a heavy, high-energy particle that can cause a lot of damage to DNA."

Since radon is a gas, it is easily breathed into the lungs, where it continues to decompose, which can alter the mechanisms of your body's DNA repair. This can lead to the development of cancerous tumors. "It is also possible to go elsewhere in the body and, in fact, around the body. So you can imagine that the chest is also a target for her, "explains Carbone.

Alberty agrees that geography could pose a potential threat to breast cells resulting from exposure to radon. "Theoretically, since the lungs and the breast are very close to each other and anatomically speaking, it makes sense that radon could potentially cause these same problems of DNA repair." , which could evolve into cancer.

However, "the radon particles do not penetrate very far into the tissues," explains Carbone. This is why it is more likely to cause lung cancer than any other cancer, although an inconclusive link has also been established with some forms of leukemia. "When you breathe radon, the gas is a fraction of a millimeter away from cells that become lung cancer. But in the breast, you have several millimeters of skin before reaching the breast cells that are at the base of breast cancer. So, in theory, the risk of breast cancer would be less pronounced than that of the lung. "

At present, there is very little evidence of a link between radon exposure and breast cancer. Much of what we currently know comes from a study conducted in 2017 at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Using data from the massive cohort of more than 112,000 nurses enrolled in Nurses' Health Study II, Harvard researchers compared the incidence of breast cancer with radon exposure maps. The study did not reveal any overall association between radon exposure and breast cancer risk.

"To my knowledge, this was the first prospective study analyzing the environmental exposure to radon and the incidence of breast cancer," Alberty said. "Overall, there was no link between breast cancer risk and radon exposure and this included geography (radon levels vary from region to region), personal risk and types of breast cancer. However, when we do cancer research, we always look for a multivariate analysis and we break down the different categories of possible criteria, "he said. While digging deeper, the researchers found a small association between triple negative breast cancer in women who lived in areas where radon levels were highest.

There are different types of breast cancer. The most common are positive hormones, in which the tumor uses estrogen and / or progesterone hormones to develop. Some cancers also overexpress HER-2 / neu, a growth hormone that can promote tumor growth. However, about 15% of breast cancers do not use any of these hormones to fuel their growth. These more aggressive breast cancers are called triple negatives. Carbon says that the association found between radon exposure and triple negative breast cancer in this 2017 study was "not statistically significant," but there was a potential link.

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Reduce radon exposure for general health

Whether you're worried about breast cancer or not, "The main message to me should be that radon is bad for you in many ways and that many levels of radon are present in many homes, schools and public buildings. If you do not test it, you will not know you are exposed, "explains Carbone.

Radon exposure has been conclusively linked to the incidence of lung cancer. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that in the United States, approximately 20,000 cases of lung cancer a year are caused by exposure to radon, making it the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking. Smokers exposed to high levels of radon are at particularly high risk.

"Radon levels vary from one state to another, but we find radon in all 50 states," says Alberty. "It's something we can not control in the general environment," but it's controllable in the built environment. The low level of exposure we all face each day when we live and breathe is not usually a problem. However, an accumulation of radon that can accumulate in confined spaces is a concern to consider.

Annie Cacciato, an Ohio resident and Dr. Carbone's patient, estimates that her stage 4 lung cancer was caused by exposure to radon. According to him, "radon is a real public health crisis" that must be resolved.

Although Cacciato was able to test her home, what she did and did to remedy the situation when high levels were detected, she did not know how much radon she was exposed to all day while she was at work. Her high school also had high levels of radon and during the years of daily exposure, she developed lung cancer. No smoking, Cacciato had few symptoms and was diagnosed only in 2013, after an episode of pneumonia proved difficult to shake. She is still in treatment.

Although his diagnosis was devastating, Cacciato is given a mission to warn others of the dangers of radon exposure and to encourage municipal officials to fund research and development programs. This will reduce the exposure of the general public to this known carcinogen. "I'm trying to get something positive out of my experience," she says, choking on her tears. "We simply assume that living in the United States, the best country in the world in 2018, guarantees the safety of our air. But that's not it. It is up to every American citizen to make sure his air is breathed safely. "

She encourages everyone to test your presence of radon in your homes, offices, schools and all other buildings you go to, and to take mitigation measures if the level of concentration reaches 4 picocuries. per liter of air. Sanitation usually requires the assistance of a specially trained contractor. You need to hire a professional to make sure everything is done right.

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"People who spend a lot of time in the basement for work, people who work in the mines and with building materials" and other people who work or live in poorly ventilated environments must be particularly concerned about the levels. of radon that they absorb. are exposed to, says Alberty. You can learn more about the radon test and how to get an EPA test kit.

And be sure to test regularly. Radon levels in your home, office, or school may change over time. As a result, testing should become a semi-annual event that is only part of your home maintenance routine. "We need to make sure our radon levels are safe, just as we know how to change the battery of our smoke detectors," said Cacciato. "It's just something we need to do for normal life maintenance – make sure your air is in good shape to protect you and your family."

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Can Radon Exposure Cause Breast Cancer? originally appeared on usnews.com