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Title: Lactogens and estrogens in breast cancer chemoresistance.

Authors: Idelman, Gila; Jacobson, Eric M; Tuttle, Traci R; Ben-Jonathan, Nira

Published In Expert Rev Endocrinol Metab, (2011 May)

Abstract: Tumor resistance to chemotherapy in advanced breast cancer is a major impediment to treatment success. Resistance can be induced by the drugs themselves or result from the action of internal factors. The role of hormones in chemoresistance has received little attention. This article focuses on two classes of hormones: lactogens and estrogens. Lactogens include prolactin, growth hormone and placental lactogen, all of which can activate the prolactin receptor. Estrogens include endogenous steroids and nonsteroidal compounds from the environment termed endocrine disruptors, all of which can activate 'classical' estrogen receptors (ERα and ERβ), as well as other types of receptors. Both lactogens and estrogens antagonize cytotoxicity of multiple chemotherapeutic agents through complementary mechanisms. The implications of chemoresistance by these hormones to patients with breast cancer, and the potential benefits of developing combinatorial anti-lactogen/anti-estrogen treatment regimens, are discussed.

PubMed ID: 21731573 Exiting the NIEHS site

MeSH Terms: No MeSH terms associated with this publication

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Last Reviewed: October 02, 2024