10/14/2003

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Partnering with state and community organizations, Michigan State University is establishing a center that will investigate whether certain environmental exposures can predispose women to breast cancer.

It's estimated that one in eight women in the United States will have breast cancer in her lifetime. Breast cancer is second only to lung cancer as a cause of cancer deaths in women. In 2001, more than 40,000 women died of breast cancer in the United States.

Using a federal grant of nearly $5 million, MSU will be one of four new Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Centers in the country. The centers are funded jointly by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the National Cancer Institute, both agencies of the National Institutes of Health.

The four national centers will network and interact as a single program. Its first goal: to increase understanding of the development of normal mammary tissue during puberty and to help determine what environmental factors could increase cancer risk in adulthood. Environmental exposures will include not only pollutants, but also nutritional and lifestyle factors.

"At MSU, we'll focus on environmental and dietary factors that would have an effect on hormonal activity or could influence breast development," said Sandra Haslam, a professor of physiology who is leading MSU's part in the project. "We'll be examining environmental exposures that affect the expression and function of estrogen and progesterone receptors in mouse models. In particular, we will focus on the role of progesterone in breast development and as a risk factor for breast cancer.

"I've spent most of my career studying hormonal regulation of breast development. In addition, colleagues from several MSU colleges will be making significant contributions."

Among those colleges are human medicine, communication arts and sciences, natural sciences, and agriculture and natural resources.

Haslam said MSU not only has a wealth of experience in this field, but also has important community ties that will contribute greatly to this project. Reaching out to the community and sharing information is a critical aspect of this project, she said.

The center will include a community outreach and translation core group that will seek input from community breast cancer advocacy groups to address their concerns. This core will develop educational materials as researchers find answers to early life exposures and their subsequent impact on breast cancer risk.

"The community advocates will play an active part in outreach activities that translate the results of the research into improved understanding, diagnosis and prevention of breast cancer," Haslam said. "It's very important that we share any and all of our scientific findings with the public and policy makers."

Community advocates who will participate in the project include representatives from the Michigan Department of Community Health; the Michigan Environmental Council; the American Cancer Society's Great Lakes Division; the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation; and Faith Access to Community Economic Development, a faith-based nonprofit that provides services to address comprehensive needs - physical, mental and spiritual - of residents of Flint and Genesee County.

Other institutions taking part in the project include the University of Cincinnati; the University of California, San Francisco; and the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia.

What is being said about the MSU Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Center.

"We are thrilled to serve as community advocates in the Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Center at MSU. The establishment of this center is a direct fit with the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation mission to eradicate breast cancer as a life-threatening disease by advancing research, education, screening and treatment. Our role as a Komen affiliate is primarily community advocacy, education and to provide funding for local education, screening and treatment programs for the medically underserved."
Chris Pearson
President, Greater Lansing Affiliate
Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation

"Despite our best efforts, breast cancer continues to be a major health issue for women in the United State and throughout the world. We are proud to serve as a community advocate for this new center and look forward to working with MSU and the other advocates to eradicate this disease."
Vicki Rakowski
Executive Vice President for Medical Activities
American Cancer Society, Great Lakes Division

"Being a part of this project provides us an opportunity to fulfill our mission through education and outreach. In particular, it allows us to expand the awareness and understanding of research and academic institutions, as well as the importance of appropriately engaging community in these efforts."
E. Yvonne Lewis
Executive Director
Faith Access to Community Economic Development

"It's essential that we explore every avenue of science that can lead to a full understanding of the causes of breast cancer, how to defeat it, and even prevent its occurrence. Michigan State University has long proven the quality of its research, and this funding puts MSU in the front ranks in the war against breast cancer."
Debbie Stabenow
U.S. Senator (D-Mich.)

"The announcement that Michigan State University was chosen as a site for one of the Breast Cancer and the Environmental Research Centers is a tribute to the great work done at MSU. The center will provide valuable research which will better educate us in Michigan, as well as the entire nation."
Carl Levin
U.S. Senator (D-Mich.)

"The Michigan Environmental Council is thrilled to be part of this groundbreaking project. The scourge of cancer will at last be rigorously researched in light of possible environmental causes. The team assembled by MSU is strong and highly qualified to lead this project and we're looking forward to playing an integral role in this important and potentially life-saving work."
Lana Pollack
President
Michigan Environmental Council