Type of estrogen receptor determines response to antiestrogen therapy.
Year: 1996
Type: article
Study design: Clinical Trial
Abstract: Failure of tamoxifen treatment for unresectable hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) might be caused by variant estrogen receptors (ERs) in some of these tumors. We therefore planned a study in which antihormonal therapy was done with 80 mg/day tamoxifen or 160 mg/day megestrol according to the presence of wild-type or exon 5-deleted variant ER transcripts. Growth rate (evaluated by MRI) of HCCs characterized by variant ER transcripts was 4 times more rapid than that of HCCs with wild-type ERs. Tumor volume in all patients with wild-type ERs was halved after 9 months of tamoxifen treatment, whereas megestrol in patients with variant ERs only slowed down tumor growth. Choosing antihormonal treatment according to the presence of wild-type or variant ERs in the tumor definitely improves the response rate to tamoxifen; in patients with tumors bearing variant ERs, megestrol causes only a temporary inhibition of tumor growth.
Source: PubMed
Authors: E Villa, A Dugani, E Fantoni, L Camellini, P Buttafoco, A Grottola, G Pompei, M De Santis, A Ferrari, F Manenti
Institution: University of Modena and Reggio Emilia
Language: English
Subfield: Hepatology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1897186243