Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 4, 2026

Changes in Mammary Gland Morphology and Breast Cancer Risk in Rats
Published on: October 16, 2010
How pregnancy at early age protects against breast cancer
Fabienne Meier-Abt1, Mohamed Bentires-Alj2
1Mechanisms of Cancer, Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research (FMI), Maulbeerstrasse 66, CH-4058 Basel, Switzerland; Faculty of Science, University of Basel, Klingelbergstrasse 50, CH-4056 Basel, Switzerland.
Abstract:
Pregnancy at an early age has a strong protective effect against breast cancer in humans and rodents. Postulated mechanisms underlying this phenomenon include alterations in the relative dynamics of hormone and growth factor-initiated cell fate-determining signaling pathways within the hierarchically organized mammary gland epithelium. Recent studies in epithelial cell subpopulations isolated from mouse and human mammary glands have shown that early pregnancy decreases the proportion of hormone receptor-positive cells and causes pronounced changes in gene expression as well as decreased proliferation in stem/progenitor cells. The changes include downregulation of Wnt and transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) signaling. These new findings highlight the importance of cell-cell interactions within the mammary gland epithelium in modulating cancer risk and provide potential targets for breast cancer prevention strategies.
More Related Videos
13:04In Vivo and Ex Vivo Approaches to Study Ovarian Cancer Metastatic Colonization of Milky Spot Structures in Peritoneal Adipose
Published on: October 14, 2015
06:29Modeling Breast Cancer via an Intraductal Injection of Cre-expressing Adenovirus into the Mouse Mammary Gland
Published on: June 7, 2019
Related Concept Videos
Cancer Prevention
Some...
Cancer Prevention
Nondisjunction
Preventive Healthcare Services
Oogenesis
Replicative Cell Senescence