Assessing the contribution of dietary factors in breast cancer

The worldwide estimates suggest that in the year 2012 almost 14.1 million new cases and 8.2 million cancers associated mortality has been reported. Incidence-wise, breast cancer (11.7 million) is the leading malignancy reported in women in the same year. The present systematic review is carried out to explore the magnitude and contribution of dietary constituents in the development of breast cancer, and to recommend community-based strategies to counter the menace of breast cancer on a global scale. A thorough search for all published matter pertaining to the topic was made in multiple search engines, including PubMed, World Health Organization website and Google scholar for almost 35 days. Keywords used in the search include breast cancer and dietary constituents. Owing to the multi-factorial etiology and lack of clarity regarding share of each potential risk factor, early detection of the disease and implementation of a multi-pronged strategy remains crucial in ensuring adequate control. To conclude, the review clearly establishes the role of dietary constituents in the onset/prevention of breast cancer. However, most of the available evidence cannot be generalized in multiple settings and requires further research to eventually formulate a cost-effective approach for the early detection and treatment of breast cancer.