Fig. 1
From: State of the evidence 2017: an update on the connection between breast cancer and the environment
Complexity of factors affecting risk for developing breast cancer. This synopsis of much of the evidence described in this report demonstrates the complexities of the potential connections between exposures to environmental toxicants and development of breast cancer, all embedded in a web-like framework of interconnected factors. Solid arrows indicated connections that have been demonstrated directly between exposures and breast cancer risk, or, as appropriate, mediated through factors described in the framing section of this review. These relationships reflect results of the combined human epidemiological and/or animal studies discussed. Dashed arrows indicate connections between exposures and risk for breast cancer that are more ambiguous, with evidence coming from non-human or -animal studies, but without the in vivo data to support more directly the link. Arrows are not weighted to indicate relative strength of links. Rather the purpose of this model is to demonstrate the complexity of the relationships between environmental factors and breast cancer. (Updated and modified from Gray et al. 2009 [11])