Study investigates breast cancer gene expression and exposure to environmental radon

Authored By:

This study was the first to examine the possible association between exposure to radon and the expression of particular genes within breast cancer tumours. The study included 874 women who were diagnosed with breast cancer from two large cohort studies of nurses in the US (Nurses’ Health Study I and II). Breast cancer tumours were excised from each case during treatment and gene expression was analysed. Each participant’s radon exposure was estimated by using a combination of their geographical location and a US indoor radon model. The authors did not find any statistically significant gene expression differences in the tumour tissue between cases with high and low radon exposure. However, they did report some differences in adjacent tissue cells, but these were not statistically significant.

Low dose environmental radon exposure and breast tumor gene expression

Published In:

A previous study by the same research group also reported no significant association between risk of breast cancer and radon exposure (Vopham et al, 2017). The internal dosimetry models for radon exposure from the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) have recently been updated. These models predict how radionuclides move through the body, and which organs will receive the greatest exposure. The findings from these studies are consistent with the ICRP models that show radon and its progeny do not expose the breast to significant amounts of radiation.

It is important to note that radon exposure is an established risk factor for lung cancer, however, in Australian homes the average concentration of radon is low. For more information about radon, please see the ARPASNA factsheet on Radon exposure and health.