From the article:
“A lot of research has been done to link these two metabolites with the probability of developing breast cancer,” said the study’s first author Tengteng Wang, a doctoral candidate in the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. “So far, we believe we are the first to look at the association of metabolites in relation to mortality after 18 years of breast cancer diagnosis.”
Estrogen is a hormone in the body that drives development of female sex characteristics. Free estrogen in the body is broken down into several byproducts, one of which is 2-hydroxyestrone, or 2-OHE, which is known is a “good” type of byproduct. Researchers report that it is known to interfere with the cancer-linked effects of estrogen. Another metabolite, which is called 16-alpha-hydroxyestrone, is known as a “bad” metabolites because of its pro-cancer effects that lead to abnormal growth and DNA damage.
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In their study, researchers examined the balance of these two metabolites in relation to mortality. Specifically, they found that if the level of 2-OHE was more than, or equal to, 1.8 times the level of 16-alpha-OHE in urine, there was an associated 26 percent reduction in any cause of death in women with breast cancer. They also saw that there was a lower risk of breast cancer death, or cardiovascular death, for women who had higher levels of the “good” metabolite.
They studied these associations in group of 687 women who were diagnosed with breast cancer between 1996 and 1997, and who participated in the Long Island Breast Study Project.
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Researchers say they have additional questions remaining after the study, such as whether the subtype of breast cancer a woman has is important for the pattern they saw, and whether treatments that women may or may not have received could be playing a role as well.