Lack of effectiveness of antiestrogens RU 39,411 or keoxifene in the prevention of estrogen-induced tumors in Syrian hamsters

Abstract

As part of a search for an effective and safe antiestrogen to be used as adjunct therapy in the treatment of breast cancer, we examined the potential of RU 39,411 and keoxifene to inhibit the incidence of estradiol-induced kidney tumors in Syrian hamsters. Groups of 10 hamsters were chronically treated with implants of either keoxifene, RU 39,411, estradiol plus keoxifene, or estradiol plus RU 39,411 for 8 months. Five hamsters received only estradiol and 5 control animals remained untreated. There was a 100% kidney tumor incidence in estradiol-treated hamsters, which was not statistically different from that in animals co-treated with estradiol plus keoxifene (3 of 4 hamsters with tumors) or estradiol plus RU 39,411 (7 of 8 hamsters with tumors). Rodents treated only with antiestrogen remained tumor free. In addition to kidney tumors, testicular cancer was also found in animals cotreated with either estradiol plus keoxifene (2 of 4 hamsters with tumors) or estradiol plus RU 39,411 (3 of 8 hamsters with tumors). Two animals of this latter group also developed liver tumors. Testicular or liver neoplasms were not observed in hamsters implanted only with estradiol or only with antiestrogen. The lack of inhibition of estrogen-induced carcinogenesis in hamsters by RU 39,411 or keoxifene suggests that these two antiestrogens are not as effective as previously tested substances in inhibiting the appearance of this cancer. However, their concentrations were sufficient to induce, in combination with estradiol, the development of testicular tumors in these hamsters.