title: Stress and breast cancer: from epidemiology to molecular biology.
abstract: Stress exposure has been proposed to contribute to the etiology of breast cancer. However, the validity of this assertion and the possible mechanisms involved are not well established. Epidemiologic studies differ in their assessment of the relative contribution of stress to breast cancer risk, while physiological studies propose a clear connection but lack the knowledge of intracellular pathways involved. The present review aims to consolidate the findings from different fields of research (including epidemiology, physiology, and molecular biology) in order to present a comprehensive picture of what we know to date about the role of stress in breast cancer development.
authors.affiliation: Center for Cancer Therapeutics, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, 501 Smyth Rd, TOHCC 3rd floor, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L6, Canada. lantonova@ohri.ca
authors.forename: Lilia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Antonova
authors.forename: Kristan
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Aronson
authors.forename: Christopher R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Mueller
mesh_terms: D001940:Breast / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D012307:Risk Factors; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013312:Stress, Physiological; D013315:Stress, Psychological