Hormones and Cancer
Introduction to hormones
- hormone = naturally occurring substances acting as chemical messengers (endogenous)
=> travel through the blood to control functions of other tissues and organ
- 3 classes:
=> peptide/ protein hormones (insulin...)
=> amine hormones (adrenaline...)
=> steroid hormones: androgens, oestrogens, progestogens, glucocorticoids, mineralocorticoids
=> from cholesterol (dietary or synthesised in liver) => intake into steroid producing cells
, Signalling pathways
- steroid hormones are lipophilic
=> pass through cell membranes
=> bind steroid receptors: type of nuclear receptors (ligand-activated transcription factors
=> ex: oestrogen & androgen receptors regulating gene exp.)
can be in cytoplasm
when inactivated
Cancers regulated by hormones
- breast & prostate cancers are hormone-dependent cancers/ endocrine cancers (= via circulation)
=> second most common UK cancer killers in men // women (~ 40,000 each year)
? Are hormones carcinogenic or only cause increased cell proliferation (increasing risk of cancer) ?
- combined menopausal hormone therapy (oestrogen + progestogen) increases risk of breast cancer
- oestrogen-only therapy (women who had a hysterectomy) increases risk of endometrial cancer
-
synthetic oestrogen
remove uterus or womb
- diethylstilbestrol (DES) increases risk of breast cancer + vaginal/ cervical cancers in daughters
- increased exposure to oestrogen cycles increases risk of breast cancer
=> early onset puberty
=> late menopause
=> late/ no pregnancy
- insulin associated with higher risks of pancreatic, liver, kidney, stomach, respiratory cancers
- insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) associated with higher risks of prostate, breast, bowel cancers
Oestrogens & androgens
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