Breast, androgens progesterone

Horwitz KB, Costlow ME, McGuire WL (1975) MCF-7 a human breast cancer cell line with estrogen, androgen, progesterone, and glucocorticoid receptors. Steroids 26(6) 785-795... 

The steroid Ci7(20)lyase is an enzyme that is involved in the biosynthesis of andro-stenedione and of dehydroepiandrosterone from progesterone and pregnenolone, respectively. As androgen and estrogen hormones are necessary for the growth of tumors, this enzyme is a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of prostate cancer and in hormone-dependent breast cancers. 

Most steroid-sensitive cancers express specific cell surface receptors. Prednisone-sensitive lymphomas, estrogen-sensitive breast cancers, and prostatic cancers express specific receptors for corticosteroids, estrogens, and androgens, respectively. It is now possible to assay tumor specimens for steroid receptor content and to identify which individual patients are likely to benefit from hormonal therapy. Measurement of the estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) proteins in breast cancer tissue is now standard clinical practice. ER or PR positivity predicts response to hormonal therapy, whereas patients whose tumors are ER-negative generally fail to respond to such treatment. 

Steroid Receptors. Steroid receptors such as estrogen, progesterone, and androgen receptors are overexpressed in breast, ovarian, and prostate cancers. Estrogen and progesterone receptors are present in about 65% of human breast cancers. The presence or absence of these receptors in cases of breast carcinoma assists the determination of the therapeutic strategy (hormonal or chemical) that is likely to be effective. The successful Tc complex must cross the membrane lipid bilayer of the cell, and thus, the size and lipophilicity of the complex must be balanced with receptorbinding affinity. 

Formento, J.L. Moll, J.L. Francoual, M. Krebs, B.P. Milano, G. Renee, N. Khater, R. Frenay, M. Namer, M. HPLC micromethod for simultaneous measurement of estradiol, progesterone, androgen and glucocorticoid receptor levels. Application to breast cancer biopsies. Eur.J.Cancer Clin.Oncol., 1987, 23, 1307-1314... 

The aim of this assay is to evaluate the expression of steroid receptors (receptor status) in hormone-dependent tumors, since these receptors (estrogen, progesterone and androgen receptors) are essential for the proliferation and differentiation of tumors derived from hormone-dependent tissues such as breast, ovarian and uterine tissue. 

---