Environment and Breast Cancer: Science Review

Originating list
Carcinogenicity Potency Database, IARC Monographs, Chemical Carcinogenesis Research Information System

Mammary gland tumor summary
One study reported increased mammary tumors and a number of others, including an NTP study, did not.

Citations to review sources and individual studies reporting mammary gland tumors are listed below.

Citation

Notes

International Agency for Research on Cancer, Monographs on the evaluation of carcinogenic risk of chemicals to man.VOL.: 60 (1994) (p. 233) Styrene.

Review

"Exposure of rats to styrene by inhalation in one study was associated with an increase in the incidence of mammary tumours in females; however, because of limitations in the reporting of the data, the results of the study were considered to be inconclusive." One of five studies referenced reported mammary tumors: Conti 1988/ Maltoni 1982. Four studies did not report mammary tumors: NTP TR185, Beliles 1985, Ponomarkov 1978, and Brunneman 1992.

http://monographs.iarc.fr/ENG/Monographs/vol60/volume60.p...

International Agency for Research on Cancer, Monographs on the evaluation of carcinogenic risk of chemicals to man.VOL.: 82 (2002) (p. 437)

Review

Increased mammary tumors in rat inhalation: Conti 1988 [The Working Group noted the short duration of treatment, the incomplete reporting of the study and the high incidence of spontaneous mammary tumors in animals of this strain.] Study with decreasing tumors seen: Cruzan 1998.

http://monographs.iarc.fr/ENG/Monographs/vol82/volume82.p...

Carcinogenic Potency Database 2005. Gold LS ST, Manley NB, Garfinkel GB, Ames BN. Summary Table by Chemical of Carcinogenicity Results in CPDB on 1485 Chemicals. 2005

Review

One (Conti 1988) of two references show mammary tumors. The study that does not report mammary tumors is NTP TR185.

http://potency.berkeley.edu/pdfs/ChemicalTable.pdfpotency...

Conti B, Maltoni C, Perino G, Ciliberti A. Long-term carcinogenicity bioassays on styrene administered by inhalation, ingestion and injection and styrene oxide administered by ingestion in Sprague-Dawley rats, and para-methylstyrene administered by ingestion in Sprague-Dawley rats and Swiss mice. Ann N Y Acad Sci 1988;534:203-34

Primary Literature

experimental details

Increase in malignant mammary tumors. 6/60, 6/30, 4/30, 9/30, 12/30, 9/30 malignant; 34/60, 24/30, 21/30, 23/30, 24/30, 25/30 malignant and benign [For gavage: The IARC Working Group noted the incomplete reporting and the short duration of treatment.] [By inhalation: The IARC Working Group noted the incomplete reporting of the data and the high incidence of spontaneous mammary tumors in animals of this strainl] [ip injection: The IARC Working Group noted the incomplete reporting of data, the short duration of treatment and the low total dose.] [sc inj: The IARC Working Group noted the incomplete reporting of data and the single low-dose treatment.]

National Toxicology Program Technical Report 185, 1979

Primary Literature

experimental details

No increase in mammary tumors. Survival, especially for high dose groups, was problematic.

Beliles RP, Butala JH, Stack CR, Makris S. Chronic toxicity and three-generation reproduction study of styrene monomer in the drinking water of rats. Fundam Appl Toxicol 1985;5(5):855-68.

Primary Literature

Mammary tumors not noted in IARC review. [The IARC Working Group noted the low level of exposure.] Other than low exposures, no obvious reason from abstract for mammary tumors not to have been noted if existed.

Brunnemann KD, Rivenson A, Cheng SC, Saa V, Hoffmann D. A study of tobacco carcinogenesis. XLVII. Bioassays of vinylpyridines for genotoxicity and for tumorigenicity in A/J mice. Cancer Lett 1992;65(2):107-13.

Primary Literature

Mammary tumors not noted in IARC review. Exposure seems very low, but no other obvious reason for lack of reported mammary tumors.

Ponomarkov V, Tomatis L. Effects of long-term oral administration of styrene to mice and rats. Scand J Work Environ Health 1978;4 Suppl 2:127-35.

Primary Literature

Mammary tumors not noted in IARC review. [O20 mice: THE IARC Working Group noted the high mortality in treated mice early in the study. Doses were more than 4 times the level of the C57B1 studies.] [C57B1 mice: The IARC Working Group noted the small numbers of animals.] No obvious reason from abstract for mammary tumors not to have been noted if existed.

Cruzan G, Cushman JR, Andrews LS, Granville GC, Johnson KA, Hardy CJ, et al. Chronic toxicity/oncogenicity study of styrene in CD rats by inhalation exposure for 104 weeks. Toxicol Sci 1998;46(2):266-81.

Primary Literature

From IARC, review postponed.

Maltoni C, Ciliberti A, Carretti D. Experimental contributions in identifying brain potential carcinogens in the petrochemical industry. Ann N Y Acad Sci 1982;381:216-49.

Primary Literature

From IARC, review postponed.

National Toxicology Program 11th Report on Carcinogens, Table 1. Chemicals nominated to the National Toxicology Program for in-depth toxicological evaluation for carcinogenesis testing in fiscal years 1988-2003.

Review

Nominated by Private Individual, 1991 Rationale: None given by nominator No further testing at this time; industry is performing chronic studies http://ntp-server.niehs.nih.gov/htdocs/Results_Status/Resstats/10166-K.Html"

http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/ntp/roc/eleventh/tab1.pdf