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Experimental hypothyroidism retards mammary carcinogenesis promoting apoptosis of tumor cells. β-catenin plays a critical role in cell adhesion and intracellular signaling pathways conditioning the prognosis of breast cancer. However, the mechanistic connections associated with the expression of β-catenin in thyroid status and breast cancer are not known. Therefore, we studied the relationship between the expression and localization of β-catenin and apoptosis in mammary tumors induced by 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA) in hypothyroid (Hypot) and euthyroid (EUT) rats. Female Sprague Dawley rats were treated with a dose of DMBA (15 mg/rat) at 55 days of age and were then divided into two groups: HypoT (0.01% 6-N-propyl-2-thiouracil in drinking water, n = 54) and EUT (untreated control, n = 43). Latency, incidence and progression of tumors were determined. At sacrifice, tumors …