Cadmium Exposure Increases Breast Cancer Risk

]Level of cadmium present in women's body might have a role future development of breast cancer in women according to findings from new research. This research finding suggest that women who have high levels of cadmium in their urine may be twice at risk of developing breast cancer compared to women who have low levels of cadmium in their urine. It is not clear at this point if the cadmium is the direct cause of increase in beast cancer risk. It is possible that cadmium might be an innocent marker of another risk factor or a combination of risk factors.

Cadmium is a heavy metal and has been listed as one of the carcinogens (cancer causing materials). Animal studies have shown that higher cadmium levels in the body might lead to development of cancer, but till now no human study has shown a clear link between elevated cadmium levels and cancer. This suggests that further studies are needed to determine if these elevated levels are really what is causing the increased risk of breast cancer.

These new findings come form a group of scientists lead by Dr. Jane A. McElroy at the Environmental Protection Agency and University of Wisconsin Comprehensive Cancer Center in Madison.

These scientists made measurements of urinary levels of cadmium in 246 breast cancer patients and compared these levels to 254 age-matched controls. These subjects were kept in contact by telephone to see if any of these women had breast cancer risk factors.

The final results of the study are published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. These findings show that women with cadmium levels above a certain cut-off level determined by the researchers were 2.29-times more likely to develop breast cancer compared to those women with lower levels. This cadmium factor remained even after adjusting for known risk factors.

Scientists do not know how cadmium leads to the development of breast cancer, but initial evidence suggest that cadmium might be acting through estrogen which is a well known risk factor for breast cancer.

Cadmium is released into the environment from various mining and metal processing operations, burning fuels, making and using phosphate fertilizers, and disposing of metal products. People living near industries that might be dealing with any of these processes might be exposed to cadmium. If the findings of these scientists are confirmed in larger studies then regulations aimed at tighter regulation of environment to decrease cadmium could be enforced.