Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 15, 2026

Profiling of Estrogen-regulated MicroRNAs in Breast Cancer Cells
Published on: February 21, 2014
Hormone therapy and estrogen receptor expression in breast cancer
E Isaksson Friman1, M Mahlman, B Nilsson
1Department of Oncology, Radiumhemmet, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden. erika.isaksson-friman@karolinska.se
Abstract:
Postmenopausal hormone therapy (HT) may increase breast cancer risk and influence tumor characteristics. We investigated 321 postmenopausal women aged 50-65 years, with breast cancer, diagnosed and treated at Radiumhemmet, Karolinska Hospital, during 1993-1997. In women using HT (n =90) estrogen receptor concentration (ER) at diagnosis were lower than in non-users (n =135) (1.17 vs 1.70 fmol/microg; p <0.05). HT users also had a tendency to less multifocal (5 vs 12%) (p <0.05) and metastatic disease (5% vs 2%) however this was not statistically significant. The estrogen receptor expression is always considered in the judgement on hormone dependency and the clinical decision on adjuvant endocrine therapy. A suppression of ER during HT could tentatively influence the treatment decisions in breast cancer patients and maybe disregard patients from endocrine treatment.
Related Concept Videos
Mitogens and the Cell Cycle
Target Cell Response to Hormones
Notably, the cellular response can be regulated by altering the number of receptors expressed in the cell. For example, prolonged exposure to elevated hormone levels results in a gradual decline or down-regulation in the number of receptors for that specific hormone on the cell surface. Conversely, in response to low hormone levels, cells may use up-regulation, producing an...
Transducer Mechanism: Nuclear Receptors
About 48 different soluble family members of nuclear receptors are identified that can be divided into two main classes:
Intracellular Hormone Receptors
Targeted Cancer Therapies
There are several types of targeted therapies against specific...
