Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, Zagreb, Ksaverska c 2, Croatia.
Environ Health. 2012 Jun 28;11 Suppl 1(Suppl 1):S8. doi: 10.1186/1476-069X-11-S1-S8.
The role of steroids in carcinogenesis has become a major concern in environmental protection, biomonitoring, and clinical research. Although historically oestrogen has been related to development of reproductive system, research over the last decade has confirmed its crucial role in the development and homeostasis of other organ systems. As a number of anthropogenic agents are xenoestrogens, environmental health research has focused on oestrogen receptor level disturbances and of aromatase polymorphisms. Oestrogen and xenoestrogens mediate critical points in carcinogenesis by binding to oestrogen receptors, whose distribution is age-, gender-, and tissue-specific. This review brings data about cancer types whose eatiology may be found in environmental exposure to xenoestrogens. Cancer types that have been well documented in literature to be related with environmental exposure include the reproductive system, breast, lung, kidney, pancreas, and brain. The results of our data mining show (a) a significant correlation between exposure to xenoestrogens and increased, gender-related, cancer risk and (b) a need to re-evaluate agents so far defined as endocrine disruptors, as they are also key molecules in carcinogenesis. This revision may be used to further research of cancer aetiology and to improvement of related legislation. Investigation of cancers caused by xenoestrogens may elucidate yet unknown mechanisms also valuable for oncology and the development of new therapies.
类固醇在致癌作用中的角色已成为环境保护、生物监测和临床研究中的一个主要关注点。虽然在历史上雌激素与生殖系统的发育有关，但过去十年的研究已经证实了它在其他器官系统的发育和稳态中的关键作用。由于许多人为的物质是外源性雌激素，环境健康研究的重点已经放在了雌激素受体水平的紊乱和芳香酶多态性上。雌激素和外源性雌激素通过与雌激素受体结合，在致癌作用的关键节点发挥作用，而雌激素受体的分布具有年龄、性别和组织特异性。这篇综述介绍了可能与外源性雌激素暴露有关的癌症类型的病因学数据。在文献中有充分记录的与环境暴露有关的癌症类型包括生殖系统、乳房、肺、肾、胰腺和脑。我们的数据挖掘结果表明：（a）外源性雌激素暴露与性别相关的癌症风险增加之间存在显著相关性；（b）需要重新评估迄今为止被定义为内分泌干扰物的物质，因为它们也是致癌作用中的关键分子。这一修订可用于进一步研究癌症的病因，并改进相关法规。对外源性雌激素引起的癌症的研究可以阐明尚未被发现的机制，这些机制对肿瘤学和新疗法的发展也很有价值。
