Role of Nitric Oxide (NO) in the Homeostasis of the Normal Breast and Relevance of its Loss to Stiffening of the Extracellular Matrix and Breast Tumor Initiation

Advances in technologies and screening have dramatically increased the incidence of breast cancer, with the staggering 30 percent increase during the past 30 years. This increase is largely attributed to a remarkable 7 fold increase in the incidence of premalignant forms that now account for over 25% of all breast cancers detected. Premalignant forms are the direct precursors of invasive breast cancers, but are yet poorly understood.