title: Androgens and breast cancer in men and women.
abstract: Abundant clinical evidence suggests that androgens normally inhibit mammary epithelial proliferation and breast growth. Clinical and nonhuman primate studies support the notion that androgens inhibit mammary proliferation and, thus, may protect from breast cancer. On the other hand, administration of conventional estrogen treatment suppresses endogenous androgens and may, thus, enhance estrogenic breast stimulation and possibly breast cancer risk. Addition of testosterone to the usual hormone therapy regimen may diminish the estrogen/progestin increase in breast cancer risk, but the impact of this combined use on mammary gland homeostasis still needs evaluation.
authors: Developmental Endocrinology Branch, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892-1103, USA. dimitrac@mail.nih.gov
authors: Constantine
authors: C
authors: Dimitrakakis
mesh_terms: D000728:Androgens / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D001940:Breast / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D018567:Breast Neoplasms, Male / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011323:Primates; D011944:Receptors, Androgen / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D000728:Androgens; D011944:Receptors, Androgen