Conference Purpose

The Breast Cancer and the Environment Research Program  (BCERP) is conducting epidemiologic and biologic studies investigating the influence of Extended Environmental Exposures on breast cancer risk throughout the lifespan. Targeted for study  are multiple “windows of susceptibility” that may represent periods of particular vulnerability to specific chemical, dietary, or psychosocial stresses. These windows include pubertal maturation, pregnancy - for both the mother and daughter - and menopause. This scientific meeting seeks to build on the growing interaction between biologic and epidemiologic lines of research inquiry. The latest scientific findings and plans of the BCERP will be presented. Community participation and advocacy concerns will continue to be integrated into the program. Content will include the basic biology of breast development; environmental exposures that influence pubertal maturation, breast development and/or adult breast cancer; and public health communication of the risks associated with these exposures.

The BCERP is a continuation of the Breast Cancer and the Environment Research Centers (2003 – 2010) that combined epidemiology, laboratory-based studies, and outreach centering around the environmental origins of early onset female puberty and its contribution to breast cancer risk. In the next phase of the program (2010 – 2015), the focus is expanded to other windows of susceptibility and to a larger interacting group of investigators and community partners. This kick-off meeting for the second phase of the program will include a Public Session of approximately half a day open to members of the engaged breast cancer community, investigators, and outreach practitioners.