Liggins Institute, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
Curr Opin Endocrinol Diabetes Obes. 2013 Aug;20(4):307-13. doi: 10.1097/MED.0b013e328363183a.
Animals born with a deficiency in the cell surface receptor for growth hormone (GH) have a significantly reduced risk of developing cancer. Conversely, increased expression levels of GH and the GH receptor (GHR) are detectable in a variety of different human cancers. Here we discuss recent literature contributing to our understanding of the field.
In addition to animal evidence, studies of individuals with Laron syndrome suggest that congenital GHR deficiency may also protect humans against cancer. GH expression in certain malignancies is correlated with clinicohistopathological parameters and may contribute the therapeutic resistance. Other recent studies have identified novel aspects of the GH signal transduction pathway, including receptor crosstalk and the involvement of microRNA in endocrine regulation of GH.
Substantial evidence suggests the GH/insulin-like growth factor-1 axis initiates and promotes progression of cancer. However, important questions remain unanswered regarding the therapeutic utility of GH or GHR antagonism in cancer. Further clinical studies regarding the clinical association of GH expression with human malignancies and translational studies investigating GHR antagonism in animal models of human cancer are critical.
出生时细胞表面生长激素（GH）受体缺乏的动物患癌症的风险显著降低。相反，在多种不同的人类癌症中可检测到 GH 和 GH 受体（GHR）的表达水平增加。在这里，我们讨论了有助于我们理解该领域的最新文献。
除了动物证据外，患有拉隆综合征个体的研究表明，先天性 GHR 缺乏也可能使人类免受癌症的侵害。某些恶性肿瘤中的 GH 表达与临床病理参数相关，并可能导致治疗抵抗。其他最近的研究确定了 GH 信号转导通路的新方面，包括受体串扰和 microRNA 在 GH 内分泌调节中的参与。
大量证据表明 GH/胰岛素样生长因子-1 轴启动并促进癌症的进展。然而，关于 GH 或 GHR 拮抗在癌症中的治疗效用仍存在重要问题尚未得到解答。关于 GH 表达与人类恶性肿瘤的临床关联的进一步临床研究以及在人类癌症动物模型中研究 GHR 拮抗的转化研究至关重要。
