TY - JOUR
T1 - Aromatase expression and its localization in human breast cancer
AU - Sasano, Hironobu
AU - Ozaki, Masahiko
N1 - Funding Information:
Acknowledgements--This work was in part supported by the Public Trust Haraguchi Memorial Cancer Research Fund, Tokyo, Japan and by the Grant-in-aid for Cancer Research 7-1 from the Ministry of Health and Welfare. The authors appreciate the excellent technical assistance of Ms Fumiko Date B.S. and Mr Katsuhiko Ono B.S., Department of Pathology, Tohoku University School of Medicine, and of Mr Yousuke Taniyama and Mr Ryuta Saitoh, both of whom are medical students of Tohoku University School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan.
PY - 1997/4
Y1 - 1997/4
N2 - Aromatization or in situ estrogen production by aromatase has been considered to play an important role in the development of human breast carcinoma. In the human breast, aromatase overexpression is observed in the stromal or interstitial cells of the carcinoma, especially at the sites of frank invasion and/or adipose tissue. Transplantation experiments in the nude mouse employing MCF-7 and/or SF-TY human fibroblast cell lines revealed that aromatase activity and expression were much higher in the tumour with MCF-7 and SF-TY than that with MCF-7 alone. Aromatase overexpression in human breast carcinoma tissue is considered to occur as a result of carcinoma-stromal cell interactions, i.e. paracrine communication between stromal and carcinoma cells. Aromatase overexpression is correlated with the malignant phenotype in the human breast, but not with stage, age, clinical stages, clinical course, or proliferative activity of breast carcinoma. Aromatase overexpression may be correlated with development, rather than the biological behaviour of breast malignancy. Aromatase overexpression is not necessarily correlated with expression of 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1, which converts estrone to estradiol and estrogen receptor. Different mechanisms may be involved in the regulation of expression of these two important estrogen-metabolizing enzymes and estrogen receptor in human breast cancer. Aromatase overexpression in intratumoral stromal cells was much more frequently detected in male breast cancer than in female counterparts, which confers a growth advantage on cancer cells in a male hormonal environment with low serum estrogen levels.
AB - Aromatization or in situ estrogen production by aromatase has been considered to play an important role in the development of human breast carcinoma. In the human breast, aromatase overexpression is observed in the stromal or interstitial cells of the carcinoma, especially at the sites of frank invasion and/or adipose tissue. Transplantation experiments in the nude mouse employing MCF-7 and/or SF-TY human fibroblast cell lines revealed that aromatase activity and expression were much higher in the tumour with MCF-7 and SF-TY than that with MCF-7 alone. Aromatase overexpression in human breast carcinoma tissue is considered to occur as a result of carcinoma-stromal cell interactions, i.e. paracrine communication between stromal and carcinoma cells. Aromatase overexpression is correlated with the malignant phenotype in the human breast, but not with stage, age, clinical stages, clinical course, or proliferative activity of breast carcinoma. Aromatase overexpression may be correlated with development, rather than the biological behaviour of breast malignancy. Aromatase overexpression is not necessarily correlated with expression of 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1, which converts estrone to estradiol and estrogen receptor. Different mechanisms may be involved in the regulation of expression of these two important estrogen-metabolizing enzymes and estrogen receptor in human breast cancer. Aromatase overexpression in intratumoral stromal cells was much more frequently detected in male breast cancer than in female counterparts, which confers a growth advantage on cancer cells in a male hormonal environment with low serum estrogen levels.
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U2 - 10.1016/S0960-0760(96)00239-7
DO - 10.1016/S0960-0760(96)00239-7
M3 - Article
C2 - 9365204
AN - SCOPUS:0031123463
VL - 61
SP - 293
EP - 298
JO - Journal of Steroid Biochemistry
JF - Journal of Steroid Biochemistry
SN - 0960-0760
IS - 3-6
ER -