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Updated: Jun 29, 2025

Changes in Mammary Gland Morphology and Breast Cancer Risk in Rats
Published on: October 16, 2010
Dual role of pregnancy in breast cancer risk
Shiting Fu1, Hao Ke1, Huozhong Yuan2
1Human Aging Research Institute (HARI) and School of Life Science, Nanchang University, and Jiangxi Key Laboratory of Human Aging, Nanchang 330031, China.
Abstract:
Reproductive history is one of the strongest risk factors for breast cancer in women. Pregnancy can promote short-term breast cancer risk, but also reduce a woman's lifetime risk of breast cancer. Changes in hormone levels before and after pregnancy are one of the key factors in breast cancer risk. This article summarizes the changes in hormone levels before and after pregnancy, and the roles of hormones in mammary gland development and breast cancer progression. Other factors, such as changes in breast morphology and mammary gland differentiation, changes in the proportion of mammary stem cells (MaSCs), changes in the immune and inflammatory environment, and changes in lactation before and after pregnancy, also play key roles in the occurrence and development of breast cancer. This review discusses the dual effects and the potential mechanisms of pregnancy on breast cancer risk from the above aspects, which is helpful to understand the complexity of female breast cancer occurrence.
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