The Breast Cancer and the Environment Research Centers: Transdisciplinary Research on the Role of the Environment in Breast Cancer Etiology

Abstract

ObjectivesWe introduce and describe the Breast Cancer and the Environment Research Centers (BCERC), a research network with a transdisciplinary approach to elucidating the role of environmental factors in pubertal development as a window on breast cancer etiology. We describe the organization of four national centers integrated into the BCERC network.Data sourcesInvestigators use a common conceptual framework based on multiple levels of biologic, behavioral, and social organization across the life span. The approach connects basic biologic studies with rodent models and tissue culture systems, a coordinated multicenter epidemiologic cohort study of prepubertal girls, and the integration of community members of breast cancer advocates as key members of the research team to comprise the network.Data extractionRelevant literature is reviewed that describes current knowledge across levels of organization. Individual research questions and hypotheses in BCERC are driven by gaps in our knowledge that are presented at genetic, metabolic, cellular, individual, and environmental (physical and social) levels.Data synthesisAs data collection on the cohort, animal experiments, and analyses proceed, results will be synthesized through a transdisciplinary approach.ConclusionCenter investigators are addressing a large number of specific research questions related to early pubertal onset, which is an established risk factor for breast cancer. BCERC research findings aimed at the primary prevention of breast cancer will be disseminated to the scientific community and to the public by breast cancer advocates, who have been integral members of the research process from its inception.

Onset of Breast Development in a Longitudinal Cohort

“…They were recruited through the 3 puberty study sites of the Breast Cancer and the Environment Research Program: the San Francisco Bay Area in California (through members of Kaiser-Permanente of Northern California), the greater Cincinnati metropolitan area in Ohio and Kentucky (through local schools, and Breast Cancer Registry of Greater Cincinnati), and east and central Harlem in New York City, New York (through community centers, clinics, and local schools). 6 Recruitment was through a combined convenience sample at each site, with the sampling frame defined as those age-eligible girls in Kaiser Permanente membership at defined sites, selected schools in greater Cincinnati, or with a clinic appointment in Harlem. Each site had a time frame for recruitment, and used printed material for recruitment, describing the study as "a project of girls growing up today."…”

Neighborhood Influences on Girls’ Obesity Risk Across the Transition to Adolescence

“…The CYGNET Study is a prospective cohort study examining environmental exposures associated with differences in the age-at-onset of pubertal development, and is funded under the Breast Cancer and Environment Research Program of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the National Cancer Institute. 24 In 2005, 444 girls were recruited through the Kaiser Permanente Northern California (KPNC) Infant Cohort File, a database containing information on all live births occurring in KPNC facilities. Eligibility included being female, age 6 or 7 years at time of recruitment, member of KPNC, resident of Marin County, San Francisco, or selected East Bay Communities at time of recruitment and at birth, and not intending to move from the area in the near future.…”

“…29,30 The initiation of puberty in girls is coincident with the activation of 2 independent systems: gonadarche and adrenarche. 24 Specially trained research assistants under the supervision of a pediatric endocrinologist examined youth for Tanner breast stage (a representation of gonadarche in girls) and pubic hair development (a physical manifestation of adrenarche). Girls were categorized as either prepubertal (Tanner stage 1) or pubertal (Tanner stages 2-5) at baseline, for both breast and pubic hair stage.…”

Neighborhood Influences on Girls' Obesity Risk Across the Transition to Adolescence

“…The CYGNET Study is a prospective cohort study examining environmental exposures associated with differences in the age-at-onset of pubertal development, and is funded under the Breast Cancer and Environment Research Program of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the National Cancer Institute. 24 In 2005, 444 girls were recruited through the Kaiser Permanente Northern California (KPNC) Infant Cohort File, a database containing information on all live births occurring in KPNC facilities.…”