Hormonal Control of Breast Cancer Cell Growth.
Abstract
Although the cause of breast cancer has not been identified yet, there is enough clinical and experimental evidence that full term pregnancy reduces the lifetime risk of developing breast cancer, a protective effect that can be mimicked by treatment of virgin animals with the placental hormone chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). In vivo this hormone inhibits both the initiation and progression of rat mammary carcinomas, and in vitro the proliferation of human breast epithelial cells (HBEC). Work performed under this grant application has led the PL to determine that treatment of immortalized, chemically transformed and malignant HBEC with hCG activates programmed cell death genes even before an arrest of cell growth has becomes evident. It also acts as an inhibitor of cell proliferation, utilizing different pathways for either activating programmed cell death genes or inhibiting specific cell cycle dependent kinases, depending upon the degree of expression of neoplastic phenotypes. The relevance of these findings lies in the potential use of hCG as a chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic agent in breast cancer, utilizing the detection of activation of programmed cell death genes as an early end point in the action of this hormone on the target tissues.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 1998
- Accession Number
- ADA360669
Entities
People
- Irma H. Russo
Organizations
- Fox Chase Cancer Center