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Updated: Sep 23, 2025

Systems Biology of Metabolic Regulation by Estrogen Receptor Signaling in Breast Cancer
Published on: March 17, 2016
Estrogens, Cancer and Immunity
Izabela Orzołek1, Jan Sobieraj1, Joanna Domagała-Kulawik2
1Students' Research Group 'Alveolus', Medical University of Warsaw, 02-097 Warsaw, Poland.
Abstract:
Sex hormones are included in many physiological and pathological pathways. Estrogens belong to steroid hormones active in female sex. Estradiol (E2) is the strongest female sex hormone and, with its receptors, contributes to oncogenesis, cancer progression and response to treatment. In recent years, a role of immunosurveillance and suppression of immune response in malignancy has been well defined, forming the basis for cancer immunotherapy. The interplay of sex hormones with cancer immunity, as well as the response to immune checkpoint inhibitors, is of interest. In this review, we investigate the impact of sex hormones on natural immune response with respect to main active elements in anticancer immune surveillance: dendritic cells, macrophages, lymphocytes and checkpoint molecules. We describe the main sex-dependent tumors and the contribution of estrogen in their progression, response to treatment and especially modulation of anticancer immune response.
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