Epidemiologic studies indicate that most risk factors for breast cancer are related to reproductive and hormonal factors. The evaluation of associations between breast cancer risk and genetic polymorphisms in enzymes involved in hormone metabolism may be a cost effective manner in which to determine individual breast cancer susceptibility. A number of molecular epidemiologic studies have been conducted to evaluate associations between polymorphic genes involved in steroid hormone metabolism (i.e., CYP17, CYP19, CYP1A1, CYP1B1, MnSOD, COMT, and GST) that may account for a proportion of enzymatic variability. An evaluation of associations between breast cancer risk and genetic polymorphisms in enzymes involved in hormone metabolism is described in this brief review.

Epidemiologic studies indicate that most risk factors for breast cancer are related to reproductive and hormonal factors. The evaluation of associations between breast cancer risk and genetic polymorphisms in enzymes involved in hormone metabolism may be a cost effective manner in which to determine individual breast cancer susceptibility. A number of molecular epidemiologic studies have been conducted to evaluate associations between polymorphic genes involved in steroid hormone metabolism (i.e., CYP17, CYP19, CYP1A1, CYP1B1, MnSOD, COMT, and GST) that may account for a proportion of enzymatic variability. An evaluation of associations between breast cancer risk and genetic polymorphisms in enzymes involved in hormone metabolism is described in this brief review.