Steroid receptors and response of ovarian cancer to hormones in vitro

Chemosensitivity test for repeated arterial infusion chemotherapy by reservoir for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma

The experimental and clinical usefulness of a chemosensitivity test (Nuclear Damage Assay) was studied. Karyologic degenerative changes were observed as an indicator of drug sensitivity, in repeated arterial infusion chemotherapy (RAIC) using a reservoir for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In the experimental study, this sensitivity test was performed using five liver cell lines against 15 drugs. At the same time, the succinate dehydrogenase inhibition (SDI) test was also performed. Comparison of the results between these two tests gave a high consistency rate of 81%. Clinically, the karyologic sensitivity test was carried out in 135 patients with unresectable HCC. Drug sensitivity could be evaluated in as many as 89% of the total 135 patients. Of the patients, 43 received RAIC on an outpatient basis via a subcutaneously implanted reservoir. The objective response of RAIC on tumours of the 43 patients was evaluated as complete response, partial response, in 3 (9%) and 8 (23%) in 35 patients treated with positive drugs (positive group), and as 0 (0%) and 0 (0%) of 8 patients treated with negative drugs (negative group), respectively. As regards the prognosis, 1 year and 1.5 year survival rates were 70 and 45% in the positive group, and 42 and 0% in the negative group, respectively. As objective response in the positive group tended to be better than that in the negative group, and prognosis in the positive group was significantly better than that in the negative group, this sensitivity test appears to contribute to the improvement of therapeutic results if used to select drugs suitable for RAIC for advanced HCC.

Responsiveness of patients with advanced ovarian carcinoma to tamoxifen. A Gynecologic Oncology Group study of second-line therapy in 105 patients

One hundred five patients with Stage III or IV epithelial ovarian cancer whose disease had persisted or recurred after primary surgery and first-line chemotherapy were given tamoxifen (20 mg orally twice daily) and evaluated for response. Eighteen percent of the patients responded: 10% demonstrated a complete response (CR) and 8% showed a partial response (PR). Thirty-eight percent of the patients had short-term disease stabilization. CR had a median duration of 7.5 months, with the longest lasting 17 months. For patients with PR or stable disease, the median duration of response was 3 months (maximum duration, 9 months). When estrogen receptors of tumor tissue from patients demonstrating CR were evaluated, eight of nine (89%) had elevated estrogen receptor levels. This contrasts with patients who had stable or progressive disease as only 59% of them had measurable estrogen receptors (P = 0.16).

Effect of estrogen and progesterone on the growth of human ovarian dysgerminoma heterotransplanted to athymic nude mice

The effects of estrogen and progesterone on the growth of dysgerminoma of ovary heterotransplanted to ovariectomized athymic nude mice (OVX-NUs) were examined. OVX-NUs were divided into 6 groups and a subcutaneous injection of either 1 micrograms or 10 micrograms of estradiol (E1 or E10), 0.1 mg or 1 mg of progesterone (P0.1 or P1), or a combination treatment of E1 and P1 (E1 + P1), or sesame oil as a vehicle control (oil) was given every other day for 2 weeks. Tumor size was recorded every day and the volume doubling time (VDT) was calculated. Tumor bearing OVX-NUs were killed on day 21 and tumor tissue was excised for retransplantation, histological examination and cytosol receptor assay. E10 treatment accelerated tumor growth and shortened VDT to 25 hours compared to 44 hours for the control group. P1 treatment delayed the tumor growth (VDT: 71 hrs) and E1 + P1 treatment further inhibited it (VDT: 197 hrs). E1 or P0.1 did not have any effect on the tumor growth. The levels of both the estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) of the original tumor were 5 fmol/mg protein, respectively. Hormone treatment had no remarkable effect, except for a significant increase in PR after estrogen treatment and this result seems to be responsible for the enhanced inhibitory effect of E + P on tumor growth. These effects were also observed histologically. In conclusion, the dysgerminoma used in this study was sex steroid hormone dependent and P alone or in combination with E could be a choice for the treatment of such ovarian dysgerminoma.

Human epithelial ovarian cancer cell steroid secretion and its control by gonadotropins

To elucidate the role of gonadotropins in regulating steroid metabolism in human epithelial ovarian carcinoma (OV Ca), cells were cultured from a number of OV Ca localized to the ovary. These cells uniformly secreted 17-beta-estradiol (E2), and cells from some OV Ca also secreted progesterone (P), as well as CA 125. Secretion rates decreased with time in culture and number of subcultures. In the original and first few subcultures, 1-10 pg/ml/microgram DNA/24 hr of E2 was secreted and P secretion varied from 1 to 8 ng/ml/microgram DNA/24 hr under basal conditions. Secretion rates for CA 125 were between 5 and 300 U/ml/day. Approximately 30% of the primary cultures from cystadenocarcinomas responded to hCG and hFSH and 70% of cultures responded to 8-Br-cAMP with 2- to 10-fold increases in secretion of E2. In one primary culture, hCG produced a dose-related increase in E2 production between 1 and 5 ng/ml, but the response declined to zero at 25 ng/ml. In the same cells, exposure to hCG and cAMP for 72 hr produced cell death, whereas hFSH had no such effect. Subculturing reduced steroidogenic responses to the hormones but the response to cAMP was maintained to a greater degree. These results suggest that some OV Ca-derived cells are steroidogenic in vitro and that some of these cells respond with increased E2 secretion to agents which are well-known stimulators of steroidogenesis in normal ovarian cells.

The effects of estrogen, progesterone, and tamoxifen alone and in combination with cytotoxic agents against human ovarian carcinoma in vitro

The effects of estradiol (E), medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA), and tamoxifen (TAM) on the growth of a human ovarian carcinoma cell line, BG-1, were evaluated using a tumor clonogenic assay (HTCA). BG-1 contains significant quantities of estrogen and progesterone receptors. Growth inhibition by TAM and growth stimulation by MPA were demonstrated using continuous drug exposure. Estradiol resulted in a marginal increase in colony formation. With each of these three drugs, the greatest response occurred in the larger colonies (generally greater than or equal to 60 microns). Combinations of each of these three steroidal agents with three different cytotoxic drugs were studied in the HTCA. Synergistic activities were produced with TAM combined with either cisplatin or doxorubicin. Additive effects were seen with TAM and cyclophosphamide. Although predominantly additive or synergistic, the effects were variable with MPA and all three cytotoxic agents. Combinations of estradiol with cytotoxic agents were no more active than the cytotoxics alone. These findings indicate a biological rationale for hormonal manipulation as therapy in ovarian cancer.

Clinical correlation of hormone receptor status in epithelial ovarian cancer

Cytoplasmic estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) levels were measured in ovarian epithelial carcinomas from 37 patients using a dextran-coated charcoal assay prior to any treatment. Sixty-eight percent of the tumors were ER positive, forty-nine percent were PR positive, forty-one percent were positive for both receptors, and twenty-seven percent were negative for both receptors. Receptor status in epithelial ovarian carcinomas was found to have no clinical significance when correlated with age, parity, race, cigarette smoking, surgical stage, histologic type, histologic grade, progression-free interval, or patient survival.

Characterization of a human ovarian carcinoma cell line with estrogen and progesterone receptors

The potential significant therapeutic and prognostic roles for the sex steroid receptors in ovarian cancer are recognized. The authors present in detail the biochemical, morphologic, cytogenetic, and growth characteristics of an ovarian carcinoma cell line, BG-1, which has functional estrogen and progesterone receptors (23 and 300 fmol/mg protein, respectively) in clinically significant levels. In particular, BG-1 has a DNA index of 1.14, a stable karyotype with specific translocations, and produces and secretes CA 125 into the media.

Androgen receptor predominance in human ovarian carcinoma

Cytosols of 94 untreated common epithelial ovarian cancer tissues were analysed for the presence of estrogen-, progesterone- and androgen receptors. Androgen receptors clearly predominated (90%) over and above estrogen- (55%) and progesterone receptors (52%). Further characterisation particularly of the androgen receptor revealed steroid-receptor complex with the sedimentation coefficient similar to ovalbumin (3,6 S). Only androgens, natural and synthetic, were able to alter the sedimentation profile. Estrogen appeared to slightly lower the peak, while progesterone and cortisol did not alter the profile at all. No difference in receptor concentrations between tumor tissues from pre-, peri- and postmenopausal women was found. The serum hormone levels (estradiol-17 beta, testosterone, FSH, LH) measured preoperatively in 20 postmenopausal patients did not correlate with the receptor status. Majority of the ovarian carcinomas studied contained androgen receptors. We therefore suggest consideration of the addition of anti-androgens to the therapeutic strategies applicable to ovarian cancer.

Steroid receptors in human ovarian malignancy. A review of four years tissue collection

The oestrogen and progestogen receptor status in ovarian cancers from 72 patients was correlated with histological type, primary or secondary origin and peripheral hormone concentrations. Changes occurred in receptor status during malignant transformations of ovarian tissues, with those for oestrogen being found more often, and those for progestogen less often than in non-diseased ovarian fragments. It is suggested that the similarity in sex steroid receptor content between ovarian and breast cancers warrants prospective study of ovarian sex steroid receptor status as a predictive index of survival and response to hormonal therapy in multi-centre clinical trials. Additional data on androgen receptors are also presented.

A new triphenylethylene compound, Fc-1157a. II. Antitumor effects

The antitumor effects of a new antiestrogen, Fc-1157a have been studied in vitro and in vivo. In vitro the effect of Fc-1157a was comparable to that of tamoxifen. The effect was dose-dependent, and at concentrations higher than 10(-6) mol/1 Fc-1157a induced real cell death of the MCF-7 cells. In DMBA-induced mammary cancer in rats Fc-1157a decreased the number of new tumors and inhibited the growth of existing tumors, these effects being statistically highly significant. The ratio of growing tumors to stable and regressing tumors was significantly decreased. Although these effects were slightly stronger with Fc-1157a than with tamoxifen, the difference between these two compounds was not statistically significant. Murine uterine sarcoma, an estrogen receptor-negative tumor, was resistant to tamoxifen, but was statistically significantly inhibited by high doses (100 and 200 mg/kg-1 day-1 for 5 days) of Fc-1157a. The antitumor effects of Fc-1157a are due mainly to the antiestrogenic activity. At high concentrations in vitro and at high doses in vivo Fc-1157a exerts antitumor effects some of which are different from those of tamoxifen and are directed even against estrogen receptor-negative tumors. The exact mechanism of the observed cytolytic effect at high doses is unknown.

Steroid receptors and response of ovarian cancer to cytostatic drugs in vitro

Samples of 21 ovarian cancers were assayed for oestrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) content, and the response in vitro to treatment with a combination of doxorubicin, diacetyldian hydrogalactitol and cisplatin was determined. The number of living cells after drug exposure was estimated by a new ATP-bioluminescence method and the tumours were considered responsive if cell survival was less than or equal to 50% of the value in a corresponding control culture. Of the 16 tumours that responded to drug exposure, nine were ER-positive, seven ER-negative and eight were PR-positive, eight PR-negative. The mean percentages of surviving cells ranged from 22.2% in PR-negative tumours to 30.9% in PR-positive tumours. There were no differences in the response rates or in the degree of response to the cytostatics in terms of either receptor status or tumour histology. The results were also compared with those obtained in the same tumour samples exposed to hormones, tamoxifen and medroxyprogesterone acetate. The average response of all tumours was better to cytostatics than to hormones (P less than 0.05); this was particularly marked in the ER-negative tumours. Cytostatics may be preferable to hormones as the primary drug treatment for ovarian cancers but steroid-receptor determinations appear not to help in formulating the optimum drug treatment.