Journal article
Catch It Before It Kills: Progesterone, Obesity, and the Prevention of Endometrial Cancer
Discovery medicine, Vol.14(76), pp.215-222
09/01/2012
PMCID: PMC3964851
PMID: 23021376
Abstract
The lifetime risk for developing endometrial cancer, the fourth most common malignancy in women, is approximately 3%. Endometrial cancer is a hormone-driven cancer, with approximately 80% of endometrial cancers arising attributable to either an excess of estrogen or a lack of progesterone. In the normal endometrium, the proliferative effects of estrogen are normally countered by progesterone, but the absence of progesterone allows estrogen to induce oncogenesis, an effect that is amplified in situations of excess estrogen. One of the major emerging causes of the estrogen/progesterone imbalance is obesity. Obesity is associated with several hormonal derangements as well as dysregulation of insulin/insulin-like growth factor activity, which collectively contribute to hyperplasia and carcinogenesis in the endometrium. In this article, we provide an in-depth description of how obesity mechanistically promotes this hormone and growth factor imbalance. Given that endometrial cancer is clearly associated with obesity, we put forth the hypothesis that a large portion of these cancers might be prevented by treatment with progesterone. [Discovery Medicine 14(76):215-222, September 2012]
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Catch It Before It Kills: Progesterone, Obesity, and the Prevention of Endometrial Cancer
- Creators
- Matthew J. Carlson - Univ Iowa, Dept Obstet & Gynecol, Iowa City, IA 52242 USAKristina W. Thiel - University of Iowa, Obstetrics and GynecologyShujie Yang - University of Iowa, PathologyKimberly K. Leslie - University of Iowa, Obstetrics and Gynecology
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Discovery medicine, Vol.14(76), pp.215-222
- Publisher
- Discovery Medicine
- PMID
- 23021376
- PMCID
- PMC3964851
- ISSN
- 1539-6509
- eISSN
- 1944-7930
- Number of pages
- 8
- Grant note
- GOG Core Laboratory for Receptors and Targets R01CA099908 / NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE; United States Department of Health & Human Services; National Institutes of Health (NIH) - USA; NIH National Cancer Institute (NCI) Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Academic Enrichment Fund CA99908; CA27469 / NIH; United States Department of Health & Human Services; National Institutes of Health (NIH) - USA
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 09/01/2012
- Academic Unit
- Pathology; Obstetrics and Gynecology
- Record Identifier
- 9983557417102771
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