Skip to main content
NCBI home page
British Journal of Cancer logoLink to British Journal of Cancer
. 1985 May;51(5):671–674. doi: 10.1038/bjc.1985.101

Prostacyclin and thromboxane in breast cancer: relationship between steroid receptor status and medroxyprogesterone acetate.

A Aitokallio-Tallberg, J Kärkkäinen, P Pantzar, T Wahlström, O Ylikorkala
PMCID: PMC1977058  PMID: 2986666

Abstract

To study the production and significance of prostacyclin (PGI2) and thromboxane A2 (TxA2) in breast cancer, tissue fragments of breast cancer (n=23) and mastopathy (n=10) were superfused in vitro and the release of 6-keto-PGF1 alpha (a metabolite of PG12) and TxB2 (a metabolite of TxA2) measured by radioimmunoassay. Breast cancer formed more 6-keto-PGF1 alpha (4.5 +/- 0.9 ng min-1 g-1 of tissue dry weight, mean +/- s.e.) and TxB2 (2.5 +/- 0.6 ng min-1 g-1) (P less than 0.01) than did mastopathic breast (1.4 +/- 0.5 and 0.4 +/- 0.1 ng min-1 g-1, respectively). These productions were similar in steroid receptor positive and negative tumours. Breast cancer metastasized in 15 patients during the follow-up time of 3.7 +/- 0.7 years, but the initial prostanoid productions in these patients were not different from those in nonmetastatic patients. Two patients died from metastases, but their initial mammary production of prostanoids was not profoundly different from those in the survivors. In 8 patients (4 with steroid receptor positive and 4 with negative tumour), the cancer tissue was superfused in the presence or absence of medroxyprogesterone acetate (100-5000 ng ml-1), which is commonly used for treatment of breast cancer. This hormone had no effect on mammary PGI2 and TxA2 production. We thus conclude that the PGI2 and TxA2 productions are increased in mammary cancer but that this may not be of primary significance for metastastic spread.

Full text

PDF
671

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Bennett A., Charlier E. M., McDonald A. M., Simpson J. S., Stamford I. F., Zebro T. Prostaglandins and breast cancer. Lancet. 1977 Sep 24;2(8039):624–626. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(77)92496-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Brunner K. W., Sonntag R. W., Alberto P., Senn H. J., Martz G., Obrecht P., Maurice P. Combined chemo- and hormonal therapy in advanced breast cancer. Cancer. 1977 Jun;39(6 Suppl):2923–2933. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(197706)39:6<2923::aid-cncr2820390679>3.0.co;2-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Honn K. V., Bockman R. S., Marnett L. J. Prostaglandins and cancer: a review of tumor initiation through tumor metastasis. Prostaglandins. 1981 May;21(5):833–864. doi: 10.1016/0090-6980(81)90240-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Honn K. V., Cicone B., Skoff A. Prostacyclin: a potent antimetastatic agent. Science. 1981 Jun 12;212(4500):1270–1272. doi: 10.1126/science.7015512. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Karmali R. A., Welt S., Thaler H. T., Lefevre F. Prostaglandins in breast cancer: relationship to disease stage and hormone status. Br J Cancer. 1983 Nov;48(5):689–696. doi: 10.1038/bjc.1983.251. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Mannes P., Derriks R., Moens R., Laurent C., Dalcq J. M. Multidisciplinary curative treatment for disseminated carcinoma of the breast. Cancer Treat Rep. 1976 Jan;60(1):85–89. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Marcum J. M., McGill M., Bastida E., Ordinas A., Jamieson G. A. The interaction of platelets, tumor cells, and vascular subendothelium. J Lab Clin Med. 1980 Dec;96(6):1046–1053. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Martin P. M., Rolland P. H., Jacquemier J., Rolland A. M., Toga M. Multiple steroid receptors in human breast cancer. II. Estrogen and progestin receptors in 672 primary tumors. Cancer Chemother Pharmacol. 1979;2(2):107–113. doi: 10.1007/BF00254082. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Mäkilä U. M., Wahlberg L., Vlinikka L., Ylikorkala O. Regulation of prostacyclin and thromboxane production by human umbilical vessels: the effect of estradiol and progesterone in a superfusion model. Prostaglandins Leukot Med. 1982 Feb;8(2):115–124. doi: 10.1016/s0262-1746(82)80003-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Pannuti F., Martoni A., Lenaz G. R., Piana E., Nanni P. A possible new approach to the treatment of metastatic breast cancer: massive doses of medroxyprogesterone acetate. Cancer Treat Rep. 1978 Apr;62(4):499–504. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Rolland P. H., Martin P. M., Jacquemier J., Rolland A. M., Toga M. Prostaglandin in human breast cancer: Evidence suggesting that an elevated prostaglandin production is a marker of high metastatic potential for neoplastic cells. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1980 May;64(5):1061–1070. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Tashjian A. H., Jr Role of prostaglandins in the production of hypercalcemia by tumors. Cancer Res. 1978 Nov;38(11 Pt 2):4138–4141. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Vihko R., Jänne O., Kontula K., Syrjälä P. Female sex steroid receptor status in primary and metastatic breast carcinoma and its relationship to serum steroid peptide hormone levels. Int J Cancer. 1980 Jul 15;26(1):13–21. doi: 10.1002/ijc.2910260104. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Viinikka L., Ylikorkala O. Measurement of thromboxane B2 in human plasma or serum by radioimmunoassay. Prostaglandins. 1980 Oct;20(4):759–766. doi: 10.1016/0090-6980(80)90114-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Ylikorkala D., Viinikka L. Measurement of 6-keto-prostaglandin E1 alpha in human plasma with radioimmunoassay: effect of prostacyclin infusion. Prostaglandins Med. 1981 Apr;6(4):427–436. doi: 10.1016/0161-4630(81)90075-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from British Journal of Cancer are provided here courtesy of Cancer Research UK

RESOURCES