Latest Androgen Stories
Teacher, pilot, nurse or engineer? Sex hormones strongly influence people's interests, which affect the kinds of occupations they choose, according to psychologists. "Our results provide strong support for hormonal influences on interest in occupations characterized by working with things versus people," said Adriene M. Beltz, graduate student in psychology, working with Sheri A. Berenbaum, professor of psychology and pediatrics, Penn State. Berenbaum and her team looked at people's...
Elevated sex hormone levels associated with chronic disease risk A recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM) found that postmenopausal women who smoke have higher androgen and estrogen levels than non-smoking women, with sex hormone levels being highest in heavy smokers. Previous studies have shown that high levels of estrogens and androgens are potential risk factors for breast and endometrial cancer as...
(Ivanhoe Newswire) "“ The male hormone androgen may spark the growth of some breast cancer tumors in women, according to this study."We identified a novel subtype of breast tumor which grows in response to androgen but not estrogen, and have uncovered the signaling pathways involved in its growth," senior author Myles Brown, MD, was quoted as saying. "And we've demonstrated that drugs capable of blocking these pathways, including the receptor for androgen itself, can inhibit...
Although it sounds like a case of gender confusion on a molecular scale, the male hormone androgen spurs the growth of some breast tumors in women. In a new study, scientists at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute provide the first details of the cancer cell machinery that carries out the hormone's relentless growth orders.The study, published the journal Cancer Cell on July 12, provides scientists with several inviting targets "“ cell proteins that snap into action in response to androgen "“...
Cancer is crafty. When one avenue driving its growth is blocked by drugs targeting that path, the malignancy often creates a detour, finding an alternative route to get around the roadblock.In a study at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, researchers found that when a common type of prostate cancer was treated with conventional hormone ablation therapy blocking androgen production or androgen receptor (AR) function"“ which drives growth of the tumor "“ the cancer was able to...
Researchers from the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson and two other institutions have discovered new evidence that suggests the "longevity" protein SIRT1, known for its life-spanning effects in different species, can inhibit the development of a known precursor to prostate cancer, prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN).Results from the study could lead to new cancer prevention drugs that could not only block prostate cancer but promote longevity.The study, published in the...
Prostate cancer advances when tumors become resistant to hormone therapy, which is the standard treatment for patients, and begin producing their own androgens.Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found that blocking one of the enzymatic steps that allow the tumor to produce androgens could be the key in halting a tumor's growth.The findings, appearing online and in the August issue of Endocrinology, suggest that this step might one day provide a new avenue of therapy for...
In its early stages, prostate cancer requires androgens (hormones that promote the development and maintenance of male sex characteristics) for growth, and current first-line therapies target the receptor for these hormones to slow cancer's development and spread.However, advanced prostate cancers are often androgen-independent, meaning that androgen-blocking therapies are ineffective.Scientists aren't sure how this shift occurs as prostate cancer advances. One idea is that prostate cancer...
Implications for treatment of polycystic ovarian syndrome, No. 1 cause of female infertility Male sex hormones, such as testosterone, have well defined roles in male reproduction and prostate cancer. What may surprise many is that they also play an important role in female fertility. A new study finds that the presence and activity of male sex hormones in the ovaries helps regulate female fertility, likely by controlling follicle growth and development and preventing deterioration of...
Drugs should be developed to target gene fusions in prostate cancer, research showsProstate cancer treatments that target the hormone androgen and its receptor may be going after the wrong source, according to a new study. Researchers have found that when two genes fuse together to cause prostate cancer, it blocks the receptor for the hormone androgen, preventing prostate cells from developing normally. The study, from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, suggests that...
