The endocrine disruptor BPA has now been linked to a more difficult prognosis for an aggressive type of breast cancer. A collaboration between the Environmental Protection Agency and two North Carolina universities used living cell assays to evaluate the impact of BPA.
Inflammatory breast cancer is estrogen-receptor negative, but exposure to the estrogen mimic BPA was nonetheless associated with more rapid growth of the cancerous cells. The cells were also more resistant to a chemotherapeutic agent, lapatinib, that is frequently used to treat this type of cancer. The investigators suggest that women diagnosed with this type of breast cancer might want to minimize their BPA exposure.
[International Society of Endocrinology, June 22, 2014]
From The People’s Pharmacy perspective, it makes sense to avoid BPA if possible not only when facing a cancer diagnosis, but at other times as well. You can find a radio show we did on this topic here.
