Welcome from the Conference Co-Chairs

This year’s conference theme is “Breast Cancer, the Environment & You.” When we think about the causes of cancer, each of us may have our own ideas about risk factors and what might have caused our own breast cancer.

Some of us may worry that something in our environment contributed to our cancer. The relationship between breast cancer and the environment is extremely complex. What does the word “environment” mean to you?

What we eat, breathe, drink, and touch are all important ways that our bodies interact with our environment. Some of those interactions and exposures are within our control, but many of them are not. We have many choices about what we choose to eat or drink and where we choose to live. Some choices may help protect us, and some may not.

Research has shown that there are key periods of development when the tissue in our breasts is especially sensitive. These key periods are an important new focus of environmental breast cancer research. We know that some cancers take a long time to develop and there can be very long delays between an exposure and an observed effect.

The more we learn about genetics, the greater our understanding of the gene-environment interaction and its role in cancer. Why do some people with genetic risk factors and a strong family history of cancer never develop the disease? Why do some people with no known risk factors develop the disease? Researchers at the Vermont Cancer Center are exploring these questions and others relating to cancer and the environment.

We hope you will join us and learn from those studying these questions. Each year, cancer scientists gain new insights into the causes and cures of breast cancer. We hope the information presented at this conference helps you make informed choices about the environmental elements you can control — such as diet, activity level, body weight, and exposure to tobacco and alcohol — and sheds new light on the environment’s role in cancer risk and prevention.