PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - H. Zheng
AU  - J. J. Kavanagh
AU  - W. Hu
AU  - Q. Liao
AU  - S. Fu
TI  - Hormonal therapy in ovarian cancer
AID  - 10.1111/j.1525-1438.2006.00749.x
DP  - 2007 Feb 01
TA  - International Journal of Gynecologic Cancer
PG  - 325--338
VI  - 17
IP  - 2
4099  - http://ijgc.bmj.com/content/17/2/325.short
4100  - http://ijgc.bmj.com/content/17/2/325.full
SO  - Int J Gynecol Cancer2007 Feb 01; 17
AB  - Ovarian carcinoma continues to be the leading cause of death due to gynecological malignancy. Epidemiologic studies indicate that steroid hormones play roles in ovarian carcinogenesis. Gonadotropins, estrogen, and androgen may be causative factors, while gonadotropin-releasing hormone and progesterone may be protective factors in ovarian cancer pathogenesis. Experimental studies have shown that hormonal receptors are expressed in ovarian cancer cells and mediate the growth-stimulatory or growth-inhibitory effects of the hormones on these cells. Hormonal therapeutic agents have been evaluated in several clinical trials. Most of these trials were conducted in patients with recurrent or refractory ovarian cancer, with modest efficacy and few side effects. Better understanding of the mechanisms through which hormones affect cell growth may improve the efficacy of hormonal therapy. Molecular markers that can reliably predict major clinical outcomes should be investigated further in well-designed trials