Understanding causes and risk factors of breast cancer

In the quest to identify the cause of breast cancer, scientists often investigate one factor at a time — but it's becoming increasing clear that many factors interact with one another to contribute to the disease. It can be hard for decision makers, scientists and the public to sort through the research to fully understand the causal context of breast cancer.

Through the New Paradigm of Breast Cancer Causation and Prevention research initiative, Robert Hiatt at UCSF led a team in the creation of a breast cancer causation model that reflects the complexity of these interactions. The model was developed through a collaboration of scientists who synthesized evidence from scientific literature to offer their expert understanding of the relationships important to new cases of post-menopausal breast cancer causation. The science behind the model is published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention: A multi-level model of postmenopausal breast cancer incidence.

This model is interactive, allowing decision makers, researchers and members of the public to explore connections and develop a conceptual framework for research.