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Updated: Jun 21, 2026
Systems Biology of Metabolic Regulation by Estrogen Receptor Signaling in Breast Cancer
Published on: March 17, 2016
Estrogen signaling pathway and its imaging in human breast cancer
Shin-ichi Hayashi1, Toshifumi Niwa, Yuri Yamaguchi
1Department of Molecular and Functional Dynamics, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Japan. shayashi@mail.tains.tohoku.ac.jp
Abstract:
Recent remarkable progress in hormonal therapy has provided great benefit to breast cancer patients, but it also evokes novel issues: how accurately can the efficacy of each hormonal therapy be predicted and how can hormonal therapy-resistant patients be treated? These clinically important issues must be closely related to the biological events in each cancer, such as the alteration of intracellular multiple estrogen signaling pathways and the estrogen-related cancer microenvironment, which has recently revealed by molecular biological studies on estrogen and its receptors. However, the estrogen signaling status in individual breast cancers has not been clarified yet. Here we present the context of these issues and introduce our study of new tools which enable the visualization of estrogen signals in individual cancers. The assessment of estrogen receptor (ER)-alpha activity in individual cancers or ER-activating ability of the cancer microenvironment in each breast cancer patient revealed several new findings and interesting observations. We hope that these approaches provide new clues about the estrogen-dependent mechanisms of breast cancer development, and will be useful to advance the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer patients.
Insights
Predicting hormonal therapy efficacy in breast cancer is challenging. New tools visualize estrogen signaling, aiding personalized treatment strategies for hormone-dependent cancers.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Molecular Biology
- Endocrinology
Background:
- Hormonal therapy benefits breast cancer patients but faces challenges in predicting efficacy and treating resistant cases.
- Estrogen signaling pathways and the tumor microenvironment are crucial in breast cancer, yet their status in individual tumors remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To address the need for accurate prediction of hormonal therapy efficacy and treatment of resistant breast cancer.
- To introduce novel tools for visualizing estrogen signaling in individual breast cancers.
Main Methods:
- Development and application of new tools to visualize estrogen signals within individual breast cancers.
- Assessment of estrogen receptor (ER)-alpha activity and ER-activating potential of the tumor microenvironment.
Main Results:
- Visualization of estrogen signaling pathways in individual breast cancers.
- Identification of ER-alpha activity and microenvironmental influences on ER activation.
- Several new findings and observations regarding estrogen-dependent mechanisms.
Conclusions:
- The developed tools offer insights into estrogen-dependent breast cancer mechanisms.
- These approaches may advance the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer patients.
- Personalized prediction of hormonal therapy efficacy and treatment strategies can be improved.
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