Dietary fat and mammary cancer.

GROWTH and development of glandular tissue in the breast appear to be influenced significantly by the associated adipose tissue. The glandular tissue develops only within the limits of the framework of the fat pads,1 and successful transplantation and subsequent growth of mammary parenchyma seem to be dependent on the presence of adipose tissue in the transplanted segment and at the site of transplantation.2 The reason for this dependence of mammary parenchyma on adjacent adipose tissue is not known, but it may be related to the fat-solubility properties of steroid hormones, such as the estrogens and progestins, which play