In this third blog in our series exploring how chemical mixtures relate to breast cancer risk, we explain what DNA methylation is and how it is relevant to a groundbreaking new research study.
The study is led by Dr. Kimberly Badal from the University of California, San Francisco, with help from Dr. Hannah Lui Park from University of California, Irvine and other researchers. It aims to find out which individual chemicals and chemical mixtures are linked to breast cancer. The study will give insight into how we can reduce exposure to chemicals to lower the risk of getting breast cancer. We interviewed Dr. Park about DNA methylation, the method she brings to the study.
Existing breast cancer risk prediction models mainly rely on clinical factors like family history and the number of children a woman has had. Breast cancer risk prediction models developed over the last 20 years weren’t very accurate. Until more recently, they performed only slightly better than a coin toss.
DNA methylation can help assess the risk of diseases. In cancer cells and precancerous cells, the patterns of DNA methylation are different from those of healthy cells. This might help us detect cancer early. The patterns can also reflect human lifestyle factors, such as diet and exercise habits, and environmental factors, such as chemical exposures from air pollution and personal care products.
This is an excerpt of a longer post on the Zero Breast Cancer site describing a new UCSF study on DNA methylation and breast cancer. Read the full post here and find links to the previous blogs in the series.