Advances in research of gene-environment interactions in breast cancer

Breast cancer is one of the most frequently diagnosed cancers in women. It has been increasingly recognized that breast cancer is a result of interplays between different exposures and host susceptibilities. The study of gene-environment interactions (GEI) has been confined to candidate gene approach which is mainly involving genes related to metabolism, DNA repair, cell apoptosis, etc. Recent genome-wide association studies are identifying novel susceptibility genes of breast cancer. These studies, without any biological hypothesis, provide us not only a promising prospect but also a big challenge in the GEI analysis. This review is aimed to present a summary of recent advances in the understanding of the contribution of the GEI to breast cancer, and thus implicate further research in the area.