Recent compelling evidence indicates that breast cancer is an environmental disease. While exposures to environmental factors are of intense interest to both researchers and community members, including women with breast cancer, well conducted studies of adult women have revealed little regarding possible environmental causes of breast cancer. The study of “windows of susceptibility” in the etiology of breast cancer is of increasing interest and refers to specific time periods in which breast tissue may be most vulnerable to the effects of environmental exposures and may directly or indirectly affect the risk of developing breast cancer. Specific windows exist when physiologic changes occur in the mammary gland – including gestation, puberty, pregnancy, and lactation - that likely represent time periods of particular susceptibility to environmental factors that may influence breast cancer risk. Thus, research focused on these critical periods of development seeks to improve our understanding of the roles of environmental factors and their interplay with genetic susceptibility.
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