Mastalgia – a non-specific term which means pain or tenderness in the breasts – is a very common symptom affecting most of the female population at some time in their lives. Some research studies have suggested that women with the specific condition, proliferative benign breast disease, which is one cause of mastalgia, may be at increased risk of breast cancer. However, there are many other causative factors for mastalgia and the great majority of these are benign disease conditions with no known association with cancer.
I have not been advised of any reference in the international medical literature which links mastalgia with consumption of poultry containing residues of exogenous oestrogens. Women who take exogenous oestrogens, for example, the oral contraceptive pill or hormone replacement therapy have been shown to have an increased breast cancer risk. If poultry contained appreciable levels of exogenous oestrogens, this would indicate a theoretical risk.