Kallikreins cancer/role

Steroid hormones, acting through their receptors, play important roles in the normal development and function of many organs. In addition, they are involved in the pathogenesis of many types of cancer [146], Several reports confirmed that many kallikreins are under steroid hormone regulation in endocrine-related tissues and cell lines [100, 147-155],... 

The association of kallikreins with cancer is well established. PSA (hK3) and, more recently, human glandular kallikrein (hK2) are useful biomarkers for prostate cancer. A more detailed discussion about hK2 and hK3 as cancer biomarkers can be found elsewhere [31]. In addition to its established role in prostate cancer diagnosis and monitoring, recent reports indicate that hK3 can be useful as a marker for breast cancer prognosis [215],... 

Several mechanisms can be proposed by which kallikreins can be involved in the pathogenesis of endocrine-related malignancies. Proteolytic enzymes are thought to be involved in tumor progression because of their role in extracellular matrix degradation. Many studies have shown that a variety of proteolytic enzymes are overproduced either by the cancer cells themselves or by the surrounding stromal cells, and that their overexpression is associated with unfavorable clinical prognosis [249],... 

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