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People of all genders can get breast cancer, so it’s important for trans men and trans women to consider that as part of their health care.

“Anyone who has breast tissue could potentially or theoretically develop breast cancer,” says Fan Liang, MD, medical director of the Center for Transgender Health at Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore.

Many things influence your breast cancer risk, including your own medical history, any family history of breast cancer, whether you have certain genes that make breast cancer more likely, and whether you get gender-affirming treatment.

There aren’t yet official breast cancer screening guidelines that are specific to trans people. But experts do have general recommendations, detailed below.

You should talk with your doctor about what screening you need, when to start, and how often. Of course, if you notice a lump or other unusual breast change, see your doctor to get it checked out. (“Screening” refers to routine checking for possible signs of breast cancer, not diagnosing what a lump or other change may be.)

Breast Cancer Screening Recommendations for Trans Women

Each person is unique. In gauging trans women’s breast cancer risk, one of the factors that doctors consider include whether they are taking hormone therapy, their age, and for how long. That’s on top of all the other breast cancer risk factors a person might have.

Trans women who take estrogen as part of hormone therapy: If you’re older than 50, get a mammogram every 2 years after you’ve been taking hormones for at least 5 to 10 years.

Not all trans women take gender-affirming hormone therapy. Those who do will develop breast tissue. Any breast tissue can develop breast cancer. And estrogen, which is part of this therapy, does raise the risk for breast cancer.

If you start taking estrogen as an adult, it may not raise your risk as much as if you start taking it as a teen because over your lifetime, you’d have less exposure to estrogen. There hasn’t been a lot of research in this area yet, so it’s not clear how much taking estrogen raises risk for people of various ages.

Trans women with the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes and/or a strong family history of breast cancer: These genes raise your risk of breast cancer. So it’s very important that you discuss with your doctor how to manage this risk, such as with screenings or other preventive care. You may need to start getting mammograms earlier – and get them more often.

“There are other health conditions, not just cancer, that might not make you a good candidate for estrogen,” says Gwendolyn Quinn, PhD, professor of obstetrics and gynecology at NYU Grossman School of Medicine in New York. “That’s why the decision to use hormones should be overseen by a health care provider, but many trans people don’t have access to a clinician and buy their hormones on the internet.”

If you aren’t taking gender-affirming therapy but are considering it, make sure your doctor knows that you are BRCA-positive.

“It’s not a formal recommendation, but there has been talk about testing trans women for BRCA before starting gender-affirming hormones,” Quinn says. “But a lot of people feel that gender-affirming hormones are lifesaving and that it’s unreasonable to ask that trans women get tested first.”

If you do have a doctor and want to get tested for the BRCA genes – and other genes linked to breast cancer – your doctor can help you find out about what’s involved.

Trans women who don’t take hormones: Although there’s no recommended screening timing, be sure to see your doctor if you notice any breast lumps or changes – and tell them about anyone in your family who’s had breast cancer.

Trans women who got breast augmentation: Some trans women choose to get breast augmentation surgery to create the look of breasts. This is done with implants, fat transferred from another place on the body, or a combination of those methods.

Fat transfer uses your own body fat from somewhere else on your body to create breasts, and studies don’t show that this raises breast cancer risk. Today’s breast implants don’t cause breast cancer, either. They have been linked to a low risk of a rare form of cancer called anaplastic large-cell lymphoma (ALCL). There hasn’t been a lot of research on implant-related ALCL specifically in trans women. But in one review, researchers called it a “rare but serious” complication and recommended being aware of the risk and keeping up with any follow-up care after getting the implants.

Breast Cancer Screening Recommendations for Trans Men

Among the many factors that can affect your risk are whether you’ve had “top surgery” to change the appearance of your chest, whether you take testosterone, and whether you have certain genes that make breast cancer more likely.

Trans men who have not had top surgery or who have only had breast reduction: Get a mammogram every year or two starting at age 40.

If you haven’t had top surgery, your breast cancer risk is the same as it was before you transitioned. That’s true whether or not you’ve had a hysterectomy (surgery to remove your uterus). Removal of the ovaries and uterus only somewhat lowers breast cancer risk. Removing the breasts makes the biggest impact on breast cancer risk.

Trans men who have had top surgery: You may not have enough breast tissue to put in a mammogram machine, so your doctor may recommend that you do self-exams and also get breast exams done by a doctor.

Not every trans man gets top surgery. But some do. Top surgery lowers breast cancer risk, but not as much as a mastectomy you’d get to prevent or treat breast cancer.

With a breast cancer mastectomy, the goal is to remove as much breast tissue as possible, including tissue under the arms and on the ribcage. With top surgery, the aim is different: to change the chest’s appearance to be flatter. “The breast mass is removed, but we don’t go after every single cell because it’s not necessary to do that in order to get the overall result that we want,” Liang says.

“How much surgery lowers [breast cancer] risk depends on how much tissue is left behind, including the nipple, where there’s also potential for cancer cells to develop,” Quinn says.

Trans men who have the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutations and have had standard top surgery (but not a complete preventive mastectomy): You may need annual breast cancer screenings. Since you likely won’t have enough breast tissue to put into a mammogram machine, a breast cancer specialist may need to give you a chest exam. It’s important that your doctors know that you are BRCA+ so they can make a preventive screening plan for you based on how much breast tissue you have.

Trans men who take hormone therapy with testosterone: Testosterone suppresses estrogen. So if you take hormone therapy with testosterone consistently over time, your breast cancer risk is likely to be somewhat lower. But if you don’t take testosterone – or if you only take a low dose or take it intermittently – you won’t have that protective benefit.

Regardless of whether or not you take testosterone therapy, there is still at least some risk for breast cancer. Your doctor can advise you about what screening you need.

Finding Gender-Affirming Care

While experts can make recommendations about cancer screenings for trans people, finding a gender-affirming health care provider is easier said than done in some places.

The World Professional Association for Transgender Health has an online directory of providers of gender-affirming care. You may also simply call doctors in your area and ask about their experience with providing care to trans patients.

“If you can’t find a transgender health clinic near where you live, call the doctor beforehand,” Liang says. “Ask about the provider’s experience with transgender preventive care. See how they respond to the question – whether they have an understanding of what you need or whether the question seems to them to come out of left field.” Your health concerns – about breast cancer or anything else – should be taken seriously and treated with respect by your health care team.

Sept. 23, 2022 — No matter how you slice it, a genetically engineered purple tomato just got one step closer to showing up in U.S. grocery stores.

The U.K. company developing the new purple fruit has passed a first test with U.S. regulators, demonstrating that genetic changes to the tomatoes do not expose the plants to a greater risk for pest damage.

The purple tomatoes are the first to pass the new SECURE law in the United States. The SECURE Act became law in phases between May 2020 and October 2021. The new U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) rules update how the agency reviews genetically modified foods, focusing more on the food itself than the process used to create it.

More Than Skin Deep

Not to be confused with tomatoes with purple skin only, the tomatoes are purple inside and out. Genes taken from the purple snapdragon plant provide the color and boost levels of anthocyanins. Norfolk Plant Sciences says the tomatoes contain 10 times more of this antioxidant than ordinary tomatoes, and therefore provide additional health benefits.

Also known as “super tomatoes,” the purple tomatoes can now be imported, cross state lines, and be “released” into the environment. The company plans to provide seed packets to home gardeners once they receive final regulatory approval.

Norfolk used a common agricultural bacterium, aptly named agrobacterium, to deliver the genetic changes to the Micro Tom tomato variety. Next, the company introduced the same changes into other tomato varieties through cross breeding.

Some genetically modified organisms (GMOs) on grocery shelves can be hard to identify. Many are genetically changed to make them easier to ship or to last longer on shelves, but these properties do not change how they look. However, the deep purple tomatoes from Norfolk Plant Sciences will likely stand out in the produce aisle.

Move over, eggplant. You’re not the only purple fruit in town. (And yes, both are fruits.)

A Boost to Food Innovation?

“We are pleased that the USDA reviewed our bioengineered purple tomato and reached the decision that ‘from a plant pest risk perspective, this plant may be safely grown and used in breeding in the United States,’” says Nathan Pumplin, PhD, CEO of Norfolk Plant Science’s U.S.-based commercial arm.

“This decision represents an important step to enable innovative scientists and small companies to develop and test new, safe products with consumers and farmers,” Pumplin says.

The new federal law was designed to encourage innovation while reducing pest risks, says Andrew Walmsley, senior director for government affairs at the American Farm Bureau Federation.

“We have been genetically modifying plants and animals since we ceased being mostly hunters and gatherers,” Walmsley says. “Improved genetics provide a multitude of societal benefits including, but not limited to, more nutritious food.”

Concerns From the Non-GMO Camp

Not everyone is enthusiastic about these new tomatoes.

When asked what consumers should consider, “We want them to be aware that if this is a genetically modified product,” says Hans Eisenbeis, director of mission and messaging at the non-GMO Project, a nonprofit organization in Bellingham, WA, that verifies consumer products that do not contain GMO ingredients.

“GMOs are pretty ubiquitous in our food system,” he says. “It’s important that [consumers] know this particular tomato is genetically engineered in case they are choosing to avoid GMOs.”

There are other ways to get high levels of anthocyanins, he says, including from blueberries.

Eisenbeis considers the SECURE law changes a “deregulation” of GMOs in agriculture, weakening the ability of the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to regulate these products.

One concern is that the same mechanism used to genetically modify this plant could be used for others and “open up the door potentially for genetic applications that are entirely unregulated,” Eisenbeis says.

Acknowledging there are skeptics of GMO products, Pumplin says, “Skepticism can be a good start to learning when it is followed by gathering solid information. We encourage people to learn about the science-based facts of GMOs and the ways that GMOs can benefit consumers and the climate.”

“In addition, there are many non-GMO and Organic Certified products available on the market, and consumers who choose to avoid GMOs have many good choices,” Pumplin adds. “New products improved with biotechnology will offer extra choices to some consumers who are interested in the benefits.”

How Will They Stack Up?

Passing the first regulatory hurdle from the SECURE rule does not mean the purple tomatoes can start rolling into stores just yet. Regulation from several federal agencies could still apply, including the FDA, the EPA, and other divisions of the USDA. The tomatoes may also need to meet label requirements from the Agriculture Marketing Service.

Norfolk Plant Sciences voluntarily submitted a food and feed safety and nutritional assessment report to the FDA.

Time will tell what further hurdles, if any, the purple tomato will need to overcome before it can form a purple pyramid in your local produce aisle.

“We want to bring our tomatoes to market with care and without rushing them,” Pumplin says.