Bisphenols and breast cancer risk: Unravelling the role of adipose tissue.

Breast Cancer UK is delighted to announce we have awarded the Foundation Award 2024 to Dr Giorgia Cioccoloni, University of Leeds (£144,000). Giorgia’s exciting work will explore how a group of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs), known as bisphenols, might make changes to the body’s fat cells that may help breast cancer to grow. Our Foundation Award funds scientists who are early in their careers, and we are thrilled to be supporting a new generation of breast cancer scientists.    

Project details 

The study explores how exposure to chemicals called bisphenols, which we often come across in everyday items, might be linked to obesity and the risk of getting breast cancer. Giorgia’s team are trying to understand how these chemicals could make changes in the body’s fat cells that might help cancer start and grow.  

Bisphenols can affect the body in different ways, some of which might make it easier for cancer to develop. Fat cells can store these chemicals and also play a role in how the body stores fat , which could create an environment that allows breast cancer to start and spread. 

Giorgia’s research has two main goals: first, to see how breast cells change after they come into contact with fat cells that have been exposed to bisphenols; and second, to figure out exactly how these changes happen.  

Investigating effects of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl (PFAS) substances on breast cancer development. 

Breast Cancer UK is pleased to announce we have awarded a grant of £99,272.48 to Dr Mark Wade and colleague Prof Jeanette Rotchell, University of Hull, to fund a PhD studentship that will investigate whether PFASs play a role in breast cancer development and determine whether microplastics that can leach PFASs are found in breast tissue.

Project details

As well as genetic predisposition and lifestyle factors, exposure to environmental contaminants increase breast cancer risk. However, in many cases, how these contaminants influence breast cancer development is less well understood. Microplastics are small plastic materials that have entered the environment via industrial practices or have been degraded from plastics used in consumer products.

We know microplastics are present in our gut, blood, and can be breathed into the lungs. Microplastics are a potential source of harmful chemicals in our body, as they can stick to microplastics and then leach off them into the surrounding environment. A group of synthetic environmental toxins, called per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), are known to stick to, and leach from, microplastics. However, the role of PFAS in health and disease is poorly understood. PFAS are of particular concern as they are used in consumer goods, are found in the environment and have been detected in humans.

This project will:

• investigate whether PFAS play a role in breast cancer development – normal breast cells will be exposed to PFAS at levels found in the blood and then assessed for characteristics often found in cancerous cells. The effect of long and short-term exposure will be analysed to see what changes occur immediately and which develop over time.
• determine whether microplastics that can leach PFAS are found in breast tissue – world-leading microscopy techniques will be used to analyse breast tissue donated by patients to see whether microplastics are present in the breast. This study will provide insight into the extent of microplastic contamination within the human body and will greatly enhance our understanding of whether PFASs can cause breast cancer.

Evaluating the effects of bisphenol A on breast cancer development 

Breast Cancer UK has awarded a grant of £99,272 to Professor Valerie Speirs and colleagues Professor Paul Fowler, Dr Felix Grassman, Ms Beatrix Elsberger and Mr Yazan Masannat, University of Aberdeen, to fund a PhD studentship which examines the effects of bisphenol A (BPA) on breast cancer development. The project is expected to begin in October 2022.

Background 

Hormones, especially oestrogen, can influence the development of breast cancer. Exposure to naturally occurring hormones is unavoidable. However, we can take steps to reduce exposure to synthetic chemicals which mimic oestrogen. One of these is bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical used to make many plastics and resins for nearly 60 years. BPA is present in lots of everyday products, foods and drinks at low concentrations. Scientists worry about BPA because it is linked with increased disease risks. BPA can interfere with hormone-sensitive organs, like the breast. While a single exposure to BPA is unlikely to result in the development of breast cancer, repeated and frequent exposure to low concentrations of this chemical could contribute to the development of breast cancer.  

Project details 

This project will build on information obtained during our current BCUK-funded work. We will discover if there are links between exposure to BPA and breast cancer development in women, using a range of approaches made possible by the team of experts we have assembled to tackle this problem. We will start with a thorough review of the scientific literature to identify possible ways that BPA acts on breast tissue. At the same time, we will “mine” the data in large cancer-related gene databanks. We will combine the information we harvest to design laboratory experiments that will confirm if BPA-sensitive genes contribute to breast cancer development. This will then help us discover if levels of these BPA-sensitive genes in a woman’s breast will affect whether she will suffer from more dangerous, aggressive, breast cancer. To join these findings together we will measure BPA in tissue samples donated by breast cancer patients. This will confirm if there is a relationship between BPA levels and breast cancer. This project will provide conclusive evidence surrounding the role of BPA in breast cancer.