New role for estrogen in cancer?
Service, R.F.
Science 279(5357): 1631-1633
1998
ISSN/ISBN: 0036-8075 PMID: 9518374 Document Number: 497058
Although estrogen was thought to act primarily as a growth factor in cancers, new research suggests that products it forms in the body may trigger the initiating cell mutations. For instance, cell culture studies demonstrate that estrogen metabolites can bind to DNA and cause damage and produce cancer in lab animals. In addition, recent epidemiological research indicates that women with reduced amounts of the enzymes that help soak up the reactive estrogen byproducts have a higher risk of developing breast cancer. If the data hold up, they could compel researchers to look more closely at the role of hormones in the body and ultimately provide new cancer-prevention approaches by removing potentially dangerous substances before they build up. A forthcoming conference on the issue, organized by David Longfellow of the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland, is discussed.