Influence of Sex Hormones on Melanoma - 0 views
jco.ascopubs.org/...e94.short
cancer melanoma ER alpha ER-alpha ER beta ER-beta ER estrogen receptor hormones hormone
![](/images/link.gif)
-
Men show lower skin levels of ERβ than women, in whom ERβ expression decreases with age and more rapidly after menopause as a result of loss of estradiol-positive feedback
- ...3 more annotations...
-
Recent immunohistochemical analyses of ERβ protein level in melanoma tissues15,16 have shown that ERβ protein expression decreases with increasing Breslow thickness—the most important independent prognostic factor in melanoma.
-
As in breast cancer, we maintain that ERα and ERβ status also has to be determined in melanoma with the aim of identifying those displaying a high ERα/ERβ ratio
-
An ideal hormone therapy in melanoma should selectively block the proliferative ERα protein and promote the antiproliferative action of ERβ
-
Melanoma is a known estrogen sensitive cancer. This study finds ER Beta loss correlates with thickness of lesion. The authors propose ERalpha/ERbeta ratio be assessed. ERbeta has been shown to decrease proliferation, promotes differentiation, and decrease inflammation in breast studies. In contrast, ERalpha promotes proliferation, decreases differentiation, and promotes inflammation. Here, the same effects seem to apply to melanoma. Of interesting note, men have lower skin ERbeta than women and ERbeta declines with age and menopause in women. Essentially, the loss of the ability to differentiate, decrease proliferation and inflammation occurs with increase estrogen stimulus--set up for estrogen promoting cancers.