Recent advances in hormonal therapy for cancer

Hormonal manipulation of cancer is no longer confined to the use of effective antiestrogen therapy for breast cancer or surgical or hormonal castration for prostate cancer. A broader acknowledgment of the potential of different hormonal ligands to evoke cell cycle arrest to prevent the progress of neoplastic transformation, and even to elicit active cell death, has expanded the concept of hormonal therapy. The use of retinoids and deltanoids in conjunction with antiestrogens and antiandrogens is progressing into clinical trials. The use of glucocorticoids in conjunction with cyclic AMP may enhance apotosis induction. The use of antiandrogens in conjunction with cytotoxic therapy may diminish the risk of bcl-2-mediated resistance in prostate cancer. Innovative use of sequential and synergistic hormonal manipulations based on an expanding understanding of transcriptional regulation promises to advance this science.