Institute of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Vrazov trg 2, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Mol Cell Endocrinol. 2013 Dec 5;381(1-2):124-39. doi: 10.1016/j.mce.2013.07.026. Epub 2013 Jul 30.
Endometrial cancer is the most common gynecological malignancy in the developed World. Based on their histopathology, clinical manifestation, and epidemiology, the majority of endometrial cancer cases can be divided into two groups: the more prevalent type 1 which is associated with unopposed estrogen exposure; and the less common type 2, which is usually not associated with hyper-estrogenic factors. This manuscript overviews the published data on the expression of genes encoding the estrogen biosynthetic enzymes, the phase I and phase II estrogen metabolic enzymes, and the estrogen receptors in endometrial cancer, at the mRNA, protein and enzyme activity levels. The potential role of altered expression of these enzymes and receptors in cancerous versus control endometrial tissue, and the implication of estrogens in tumor initiation and promotion, are discussed. Finally, based on the published data, a model of estrogen metabolism and actions is proposed for pre-cancerous and cancerous endometrial tissue, and the role of the estrogens in the progression of endometrial cancer from endometrial hyperplasia is suggested.
子宫内膜癌是发达国家最常见的妇科恶性肿瘤。基于其组织病理学、临床表现和流行病学特征，大多数子宫内膜癌病例可分为两类：一类是更为常见的 1 型，与雌激素暴露无拮抗有关；另一类是不太常见的 2 型，通常与高雌激素因素无关。本文综述了已发表的关于编码雌激素生物合成酶、I 相和 II 相雌激素代谢酶以及雌激素受体的基因在子宫内膜癌中的 mRNA、蛋白和酶活性水平的表达数据。讨论了这些酶和受体在癌性和对照子宫内膜组织中的表达改变的潜在作用，以及雌激素在肿瘤起始和促进中的作用。最后，根据已发表的数据，提出了一个关于癌前和癌变子宫内膜组织中雌激素代谢和作用的模型，并提出了雌激素在子宫内膜癌从子宫内膜增生进展中的作用。
