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Review
. 2012 Oct;86(10):1491-504.
doi: 10.1007/s00204-012-0868-5. Epub 2012 May 31.

Estrogen receptors and human disease: an update

Katherine A Burns  1 , Kenneth S Korach
Affiliations
Review

Estrogen receptors and human disease: an update

Katherine A Burns et al. Arch Toxicol. 2012 Oct.

Abstract

A myriad of physiological processes in mammals are influenced by estrogens and the estrogen receptors (ERs), ERα and ERβ. As we reviewed previously, given the widespread role for estrogen in normal human physiology, it is not surprising that estrogen is implicated in the development or progression of a number of diseases. In this review, we are giving a 5-year update of the literature regarding the influence of estrogens on a number of human cancers (breast, ovarian, colorectal, prostate, and endometrial), endometriosis, fibroids, and cardiovascular disease. A large number of sophisticated experimental studies have provided insights into human disease, but for this review, the literature citations were limited to articles published after our previous review (Deroo and Korach in J Clin Invest 116(3):561-570, 2006) and will focus in most cases on human data and clinical trials. We will describe the influence in which estrogen's action, through one of or both of the ERs, mediates the aforementioned human disease states.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest The authors have declared that no conflict of interest exists.

References

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