title: Whipsaw cancer treatments: the role of hormesis in endocrine and immune therapies.
abstract: In this report, we propose a philosophy of treatment that few physicians may be bold enough to actually embrace, but which we believe may eventually find a place in the oncologist's armamentarium. The proposal is based on two assumptions: (1) that many hormones and other biologicals have reverse effects in biologic systems depending on their dosage or concentration, a phenomenon called hormesis; and (2) that most malignant tumors have a large but slow-moving capacity to adapt to adverse conditions, probably by the selection of cellular variants. We suggest that the phenomenon of hormesis might be used to keep a tumor under hormonal and/or immunologic environments that are inimical to its growth and well-being.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
authors.forename: Richmond T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Prehn
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Berd
mesh_terms: D000220:Adaptation, Biological; D000728:Androgens / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy; D008297:Male; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy
chemical_list: D000728:Androgens