Physiological and pharmacological effects of estrogens in breast cancer

Abstract

Focus here is on the mechanism of action of both estrogens and antiestrogens at the tumor cell levels in breast cancer. The interactions of estrogens and their antagonists are emphasized and analyzed in terms of current and potential clinical applications to breast cancer treatment. This review deals with these interrelationships at the molecular levels, not just with general aspects of endocrine interrelationships. The article is divided into 8 main parts: 1) an introduction, which reviews historical understanding of receptor technology and significances; 2) main properties of estrogens and estrogen receptors; 3) the influence of estrogens and antiestrogens on growth of experimental mammary tumor systems; 4) the suppression of or administration of estrogens for treatment of advanced human breast cancer; 5) estrogen receptivity of mammary tumors; 6) progress in treatment of advanced breast cancer derived from studies on the mode of action of estrogens; 7) the prognostic significance of estrogens and estrogenic receptivity (the estriol theory); and 8) concluding remarks on the future paths of receptor research.