Weill Cornell researcher to study link between obesity, inflammation and breast cancer

Funded through Bloomingdale's annual Pink Campaign, The Breast Cancer Research Foundation® (BCRF) is awarding a grant to Dr. Andrew J. Dannenberg of Weill Cornell Medical College on Oct. 26 to fund research into the link between obesity, inflammation and breast cancer. Dr. Dannenberg has been a BCRF grantee since 2004.

"If left unchecked over long periods of time, inflammation can predispose people to a variety of illnesses, including breast cancer," says Dr. Andrew J. Dannenberg, the director of the Weill Cornell Cancer Center at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center and the Henry R. Erle, M.D.-Roberts Family Professor of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College.

"Understanding the specific ways inflammation works on a molecular level will help us develop better and safer ways to prevent and treat the disease," continues Dr. Dannenberg. "I am grateful to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation and Bloomingdale's for their support."

In 2010-2011, Dr. Dannenberg and colleagues discovered connections between obesity, breast inflammation and molecular changes known to drive the formation and progression of breast cancer. Although inflammation was already known to predispose to numerous other tumor types, this was the first evidence for the breast. Given the link between obesity and increased risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women, these findings provide a major opportunity for developing risk reduction strategies. Going forward, Dr. Dannenberg will initiate development of interventions to attenuate obesity-related mammary inflammation. Since their laboratory models have proven useful in predicting what occurs in women, they will utilize these models to strengthen the rationale for future human studies. For example, they will determine whether caloric restriction has an impact on the obesity-inflammation axis in the mammary gland. Human breast samples will be analyzed to further define the pathobiology underlying obesity-related inflammation in the breast. Ultimately, the goal will be to develop behavioral, dietary or pharmacological approaches to reduce the risk of breast cancer.