Estrogen Receptors and Melanoma: A Review.

Emi Dika,Annalisa Altimari,Federica Scarfì,Mattia Lauriola,Manuela Ferracin,Annalisa Patrizi,Michelangelo Fiorentino,Enrica Fabbri,Elena Campione,Martina Lambertini,Nicholas Manuelpillai,Giulia Veronesi

doi:10.3390/cells8111463

Abstract

In the last three decades cutaneous melanoma has been widely investigated as a steroid hormone-sensitive cancer. Following this hypothesis, many epidemiological studies have investigated the relationship between estrogens and melanoma. No evidence to date has supported this association due to the great complexity of genetic, external and environmental factors underlying the development of this cancer. Molecular mechanisms through which estrogen and their receptor exert a role in melanoma genesis are still under investigation with new studies increasingly focusing on the discovery of new molecular targets for therapeutic treatments.

Highlights

Melanoma incidence continues to increase globally, giving rise to many questions about its exact pathogenesis [1]
Either as oral contraceptives or as hormonal replacement among patients with a personal history of melanoma, have been investigated in order to find an association with the risk of developing melanoma
There is a subsequent activation of intracellular cAMP-protein kinase (PK) to an elevation of cAMP-response element-binding protein (CREB) phosphorylation as well as activation of microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF)

Summary

Introduction

Melanoma incidence continues to increase globally, giving rise to many questions about its exact pathogenesis [1]. In the last decades, melanoma incidence has been increasing more rapidly among males compared to females in all age categories, except for young women (≤39 years) who appear to be at higher risk. Women tend to have more ultraviolet protection and more frequent medical visits compared to men, who are more likely to have thicker, ulcerated tumors, as a result of diagnostic delays [14,15] These factors don’t fully explain why gender is still a key prognostic factor after considering the gap between different lifestyle and healthcare delivery [16,17]. Women have a better response in terms of effectiveness in both cellular and humoral immunity and exhibit a complex plasticity during the pregnancy, enabling them to “tolerate” a genetically different organism inside their bodies [19]

The Source of Data

Estrogens and Melanoma

Present and Future Perspectives

Findings

Concluding Remarks