Researchers map breast tissue ageing linked to higher cancer risk

9 articles · Updated · ScienceAlert · Apr 30

The University of Cambridge and University of British Columbia team analysed 527 samples from women aged 15 to 86, building a map of more than 3 million cells.
They found the sharpest shift around menopause, with fewer epithelial, immune and stromal cells, more fat and inflammatory M2 macrophages, and weaker immune surveillance around mammary structures.
The Nature Aging study helps explain why most breast cancers occur after 50, though US cases are also rising in younger women; researchers did not assess ethnicity, genetics or other risk factors.

Could future therapies that target aging-related immune shifts in breast tissue actually prevent cancer before it starts?

If breast tissue structure and immune environment are so crucial, could current screening and prevention guidelines be missing key risk factors?