Influence of sex hormones on pancreatic cancer.

A possible new approach to treating pancreatic cancer has been suggested, since the presence of estrogen receptors, estrogen binding proteins, estramustin binding protein, and androgen receptors have been demonstrated in human pancreatic adenocarcinomas of ductular origin. Moreover, there is some evidence that there is a dysfunction of the hypothalamic-sex-organ axis, resulting in low values of gonadotropins as well as testosterone in serum. Confirmatory evidence that all these findings have therapeutic implications in humans is still lacking, but in experimental studies, inhibition as well as growth potentiation of pancreatic cancer can be demonstrated after hormonal manipulations.