Breast cancer: mechanisms involved in action of phytoestrogens and epigenetic changes.

In this review, we consider phytoestrogens and different epigenetic modifications in breast cancer. Epigenetic phenomena are mediated by several molecular mechanisms comprising histone modifications, small non-coding or anti-sense RNA and DNA methylation. These different modifications are closely interrelated. De-regulation of gene expression is a hallmark of cancer. Although genetic lesions have been the focus of cancer research for many years, it has become increasingly recognized that aberrant epigenetic modifications also play major roles in breast carcinogenesis. The incidence and mortality rates of breast cancer are high in the Western world compared with countries in Asia. There are also differences in the breast cancer incidence rates in different Western countries. This could be related to phytoestrogens.