title: Estrogens and stem cells in thyroid cancer.
abstract: Recent discoveries highlight the emerging role of estrogens in the initiation and progression of different malignancies through their interaction with stem cell (SC) compartment. Estrogens play a relevant role especially for those tumors bearing a gender disparity in incidence and aggressiveness, as occurs for most thyroid diseases. Although several experimental lines suggest that estrogens promote thyroid cell proliferation and invasion, their precise contribution in SC compartment still remains unclear. This review underlines the interplay between hormones and thyroid function, which could help to complete the puzzle of gender discrepancy in thyroid malignancies. Defining the association between estrogen receptors' status and signaling pathways by which estrogens exert their effects on thyroid cells is a potential tool that provides important insights in pathogenetic mechanisms of thyroid tumors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical and Oncological Sciences, University of Palermo , Palermo , Italy ; Department of Surgical, Oncological and Gastroenterological Sciences, University of Padua , Padua , Italy.
authors.forename: Mariangela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zane
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical and Oncological Sciences, University of Palermo , Palermo , Italy.
authors.forename: Veronica
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Catalano
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical and Oncological Sciences, University of Palermo , Palermo , Italy.
authors.forename: Emanuela
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Scavo
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical and Oncological Sciences, University of Palermo , Palermo , Italy.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bonanno
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical, Oncological and Gastroenterological Sciences, University of Padua , Padua , Italy.
authors.forename: Maria Rosa
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Pelizzo
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical and Oncological Sciences, University of Palermo , Palermo , Italy.
authors.forename: Matilde
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Todaro
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical and Oncological Sciences, University of Palermo , Palermo , Italy.
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Stassi
keywords: cancer stem cells; estrogens; growth factors; stem cells; thyroid cancer; thyroid hormones