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Early Estrogen Exposure Tied to Cancer

Posted on: Thursday, 1 June 2006, 12:00 CDT

A new U.S. study released Thursday suggests that early estrogen exposure leads to a higher risk of prostate cancer later on.

The study -- done by researchers at the University of Illinois in Chicago and the University of Cincinnati -- raises the possibility for the first time that a male fetus's exposure to low doses of environmental estrogens during development of the prostate gland might predispose the individual to prostate cancer later in life.

The research team exposed rats to low doses of estradiol, a natural estrogen, or to bisphenol A (BPA) -- used in the manufacture of plastics and epoxy resins -- during the developmental period corresponding to the second and third trimester of human pregnancy.

The researchers said they observed that the exposure predisposed male rats to precancerous lesions of the prostate in old age.

Most remarkably, early BPA exposure sensitized the prostate to precancerous lesions brought on by exposure of the adult animal to elevated estradiol, said one of the researchers.

This is highly relevant to people, because relative estradiol levels increase in aging men as a result of their increased body fat and declining testosterone levels, he said.

The study findings are published in the June 1 issue of Cancer Research.

Source: United Press International

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