Does full-term pregnancy at a young age protect women against breast cancer through hCG?
Recent studies found that human and animal breast tissues and human breast cell lines contain low levels of receptors that bind hCG and its structural and functional homologue, LH. Those gonadotropins exert numerous anticancer effects in breast cancer models and cells, which might explain decreased breast cancer incidence in women who complete full-term pregnancies at a young age. The new findings also imply that premature chronic elevations of LH levels might contribute to decreased breast cancer incidence in women with early menopause, and elevated LH levels might contribute to a better prognosis after ovariectomy. Those findings predict that breast cancer risk might be reduced by early hCG treatment of women who plan to delay their first pregnancies; prophylactic hCG treatment might help women with family histories of breast cancer or oncogene mutations that predict breast cancer; and better prognoses might result when hCG is administered to breast cancer tissue.
Rao
C V
CV
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Louisville Health Sciences Center, Louisville, Kentucky, USA. cvrao001@gwise.louisville.edu
D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin / Q000502:physiology* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone / Q000502:physiology; D008423:Maternal Age; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000502:physiology*; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000502:physiology; D011967:Receptors, Gonadotropin / Q000502:physiology; D011974:Receptors, LH / Q000502:physiology
D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen; D011967:Receptors, Gonadotropin; D011974:Receptors, LH; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone