Endogenous hormones as a major factor in human cancer

Abstract

Hormone-related cancers account for almost 30% of all cancer cases in the United States. Data from animal experiments and from epidemiological and endocrinological studies in humans support the hypothesis that the individual hormones which control normal growth of target organs can also create the proper conditions for neoplastic transformation. The concept that hormones can cause, i.e., increase the incidence of, human cancer is most developed for the four hormone-related cancers which are numerically the most important, namely, breast, prostate, endometrium, and ovary. Even for these sites, large gaps remain in our knowledge of the responsible hormones and the conditions which create the optimal opportunity for carcinogenesis. Although scanty, the available epidemiological evidence also suggests a hormonal role in the pathogenesis of testis cancer, thyroid cancer, and osteosarcoma. We believe that the primary prevention of all these cancers will probably depend on modification of the factors which affect the secretion and metabolism of the responsible hormones rather than on control of exposure to classical exogenous initiators.