Although the cause of breast cancer has not been identified yet, there is enough clinical and experimental evidence that full term pregnancy reduces the lifetime risk of developing breast cancer, a protective effect that can be mimicked by treatment of virgin animals with the placental hormone chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). In vivo this hormone inhibits both the initiation and progression of rat mammary carcinomas, and in vitro the proliferation of human breast epithelial cells (HBEC). Work performed under this grant application has led the PL to determine that treatment of immortalized, chemically transformed and malignant HBEC with hCG activates programmed cell death genes even before an arrest of cell growth has becomes evident. It also acts as an inhibitor of cell proliferation, utilizing different pathways for either activating programmed cell death genes or inhibiting specific cell cycle dependent kinases, depending upon the degree of expression of neoplastic phenotypes. The relevance of these findings lies in the potential use of hCG as a chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic agent in breast cancer, utilizing the detection of activation of programmed cell death genes as an early end point in the action of this hormone on the target tissues.

The concept that hormones influence tumor growth originated in 1889 with the proposal of Albert Schinzinger who suggested that breast cancer is related to the ovaries. Several years later, Sir George Beatson observed that remission of disseminated breast cancer could be achieved in premenopausal patients by performing bilateral oophorectomy. As a result of the contri butions of Hedley Atkins, Charles Huggins and others, additive and ablative hormonal therapies have been widely used for the treatment of advanced breast cancers for several decades. Model systems to study the effects of hormones on growth and regression of breast tumors have been available for many years; however, the complexities of the hormonal environment have rendered in vivo studies difficult in man and experimental animals. Recently, the availability of long-term cultures of breast cancer cells has stimulated many investigators to use these cell lines to unravel the mechanisms of hormone action. Because of the extreme diversity and complexity of advances regarding the endocrinology of the breast and breast cancers, a multi-authored review was deemed necessary. It has been gratifying to receive contributions from many noted scholars. In Volume I of this monograph, the influence of steroid hormones and their antagonists upon normal and neoplastic tissues of the mammary gland are presented. In Volume II, the effects of peptide and other hormones are reviewed.

This book covers topics that range from fundamental studies of DNA replication, chromosomal and nuclear function through growth factor control of endocrine tumor initiation and progression. The basic and translational insights gained from Hormonal Control of Cell Cycle will be of interest to those studying the biology of endocrine tumors as well as those deriving novel therapeutic approaches for these benign and malignant disorders.

This book marks one of the achievements of the "Estrogen and Antiestrogen Action: Basic and Clinical Aspects" Wisconsin Clinical Cancer Center conference in June 1984. It is not intended to be a recount of the meeting proceedings but is, rather, a historical review of the development of this field of endeavor during the past 30 years. The chapters have been written by many of the leading experts in the field who were asked to recount the development of a particular area or laboratory idea in which they had been personally involved. The book is intended to provide both scientists and clinicians with a single-volume overview of both the basic principles of hormonal control of breast cancer and the recent clinical results from cooperative groups around the world.

The papers in this volume were presented at the Symposium on Hormones and Cancer held March 24-26, 1980, at the Worcester Foundation for Experimental Biology, Shrewsbury, MA. The meeting was organized to review recent advances in basic and clinical research work on hormone-responsive tumors of the reproductive system. The association between protracted hormone action and cancer of the reproductive system is now irrefutable. Yet we still do not know how hormones initiate and promote neoplastic transformation of their target cells. A major effort is cur rently being directed at understanding the hormonal regulation of neoplastic cells, especially those arising from the breast, uterus, pituitary gland and prostate. The symposium brought together leading experts whose research is focused on this impor tant area of human health. Although many questions remain to be answered by future studies, the material covered in this volume provides an up-to-date overview of the current status of work in this area. The subjects range from the mechanism of hormone action to the treatment of hormone-dependent tumors, and topics include estrogen, progestin, androgen and glucocorticoid action~ hormone receptors~ specific protein responses~ developmental effects of estrogens and antiestrogens~ the DES syndrome~ regu lation of the cell cycle~ therapeutic effects of antiestrogens, aromatase inhibitors, iodoestrogens, progestins on estrogen dependent tumors~ characterization of retinoid-binding sites~ and the utility of various tumor markers.

Key questions involved in the treatment of disseminated breast cancer are discussed in this well-presented overview. It is the result of an initiative taken by the Swiss Group for Clinical Cancer Research to reveal the most recent developments in experimental and clinical research. The topics discussed include: the comparison of in vitro cultures of epithelial cells with breast cancer cells, the effect of steroids and their antagonists, the involvement of suppressor genes in tumour progression, the modulation of transforming growth factors by estrogen, and prognostic factors such as cERB-2 and EGF-R in breast cancer.

First published in 1943, Vitamins and Hormones is the longest-running serial published by Academic Press. The Editorial Board now reflects expertise in the field of hormone action, vitamin action, X-ray crystal structure, physiology and enzyme mechanisms. Under the capable and qualified editorial leadership of Dr. Gerald Litwack, Vitamins and Hormones continues to publish cutting-edge reviews of interest to endocrinologists, biochemists, nutritionists, pharmacologists, cell biologists and molecular biologists. Others interested in the structure and function of biologically active molecules like hormones and vitamins will, as always, turn to this series for comprehensive reviews by leading contributors to this and related disciplines. This volume focuses on hormones and breast cancer. - Contributions from leading authorities - Informs and updates on all the latest developments in the field