Abstract A19: Targeting follicle stimulating hormone receptor in postmenopausal epithelial ovarian cancer

Abstract

Abstract Objectives: Recent studies have established expression of gonadotrphin receptor especially more important Follicle Stimulating hormone Receptor (FSHR) in ovarian surface epithelium (OSE), its benign and early malignant tumours. There is no explanation as yet for such unusual finding. Hence, an extensive search of concerned literatures is made to find out the probable cause of this aberrant expression. Materials and Methods: A systematic review of reports from MEDLINE/PUBMED was performed from May ′02 to June ′05 on mechanism of FSHR expression in OSE and ovarian cancer. Many reports were collected from journal and additional reports were perused from the reference lists of retrieved articles. Results: The neurotrophins (NT) including nerve growth factor (NGF) are a family of related growth factors that are of major importance in the regulation of neuronal survival and differentiation. In the ovary, they can help in follicular maturation and ovulation by inducing the FSH receptor (FSHR). NTs can be implicated as the cause of this aberrant expression of FSHR in OSE. This is because unlike other factors responsible for FSHR expression NT has central action and can lower serum FSH, as is found in such ovarian cancer. Conclusion: NGF deregulates expression of FSHR in OSE and secretion of FSH from the pituitary. This phenomenon may hold the key to the hitherto unexplained carcinogenic process of sporadic epithelial ovarian cancer. Citation Information: Clin Cancer Res 2010;16(7 Suppl):A19