Estrogens and Glucocorticoids in Mammary Adipose Tissue: Relationships with Body Mass Index and Breast Cancer Features

Early human evidence such as case series or small samples is exploring possible benefits.

• Level A · Stronger Clinical Evidence
• Level B · Emerging clinical evidence with positive signals
• Level C · Early human research exploring benefits
• Level D · Scientific groundwork from lab and animal studies
• Emerging · Emerging topic under active research

Abstract (original English)

Context Adipose tissue is an important site for extragonadal steroid hormone biosynthesis through the expression and activity of P450 aromatase, 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (HSD) 1, and 17β-HSDs. The contribution of steroid hormones produced by adjacent adipose tissue for the progression and survival of breast tumors is unknown. Objective To quantify estrogens (estradiol, estrone) and glucocorticoids (cortisol, cortisone) in breast adipose tissue from both healthy and diseased women and their relationships with adiposity indices and breast cancer prognostic markers. Design and setting Breast adipose tissue was collected at time of surgery. Patients Pre- and postmenopausal women undergoing partial mastectomy for treatment of breast cancer (n = 17) or reduction mammoplasty (n = 6) were studied. Interventions Relative estrogen and glucocorticoid amounts were determined by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Results The targeted steroids were reliably detected and quantified in mammary adipose tissues. Women with ER+/PR+ tumor had higher relative estradiol amount than women with ER-/PR- tumor (P Conclusions We reliably quantified estrogens and glucocorticoids in breast adipose tissue from healthy women and women suffering from breast cancer. Our findings suggest that smaller breast tumors are associated with higher relative amounts of estradiol and cortisol in adip

Evidence level

Early human evidence such as case series or small samples is exploring possible benefits.

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