Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences and Biotechnology, Fooyin University, Kaohsiung 83102, Taiwan.
Biomed Res Int. 2013;2013:290575. doi: 10.1155/2013/290575. Epub 2013 Jan 16.
Primary liver cancer is the fifth most common cancer worldwide and the third most common cause of cancer mortality. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) accounts for 85% to 90% of primary liver cancers. Major risk factors for HCC include infection with HBV or HCV, alcoholic liver disease, and most probably nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. In general, men are two to four times more often associated with HCC than women. It can be suggested that sex hormones including progesterone may play some roles in HCC. Rather, very limited information discusses its potential involvement in HCC. This paper thus collects some recent studies of the potential involvement of progesterone and related compounds in HCC from basic and clinical aspects. In addition, two synthetic progestins, megestrol acetate (MA) and medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA), will be discussed thoroughly. It is noted that progesterone can also serve as the precursor for androgens and estrogens produced by the gonadal and adrenal cortical tissues, while men have a higher incidence of HCC than women might be due to the stimulatory effects of androgen and the protective effects of estrogen. Eventually, this paper suggests a new insight on the associations of progesterone and related compounds with HCC development and treatment.
原发性肝癌是全球第五大常见癌症，也是癌症死亡的第三大主要原因。肝细胞癌 (HCC) 占原发性肝癌的 85%至 90%。HCC 的主要危险因素包括乙型肝炎病毒或丙型肝炎病毒感染、酒精性肝病，以及很可能的非酒精性脂肪性肝病。一般来说，男性患 HCC 的几率是女性的两到四倍。可以认为，包括孕激素在内的性激素可能在 HCC 中发挥一些作用。然而，关于其潜在作用的信息非常有限。本文因此从基础和临床方面收集了一些关于孕激素及相关化合物在 HCC 中潜在作用的最新研究。此外，还将深入讨论两种合成孕激素，醋酸甲地孕酮 (MA) 和醋酸甲羟孕酮 (MPA)。需要注意的是，孕激素也可以作为性腺和肾上腺皮质组织产生的雄激素和雌激素的前体，而男性 HCC 的发病率高于女性，可能是由于雄激素的刺激作用和雌激素的保护作用。最后，本文就孕激素及相关化合物与 HCC 发生和治疗的关联提出了新的见解。
