Simultaneous expression of steroid sulfatase and androgen receptor reduced overall survival of patients with epithelial ovarian tumors.

BACKGROUND: Ovarian cancer is usually diagnosed at an advanced stage due to its early asymptomatic course and late-stage non-specific symptoms. This highlights the importance of researching the molecular mechanisms involved in ovarian carcinogenesis as well as the discovery of novel prognostic markers that could help improve the survival outcome of patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the expression of the steroid sulfatase (STS) in 154 samples of primary ovarian tumors. This protein is crucial in the intracellular conversion of sulfated steroid hormones to active steroid hormones. The presence of STS, 3ß-HSD, and 17ß-HSD1 result in the production of testosterone which act through the androgen receptor (AR) in the tumor cell. The presence of STS and AR in epithelial ovarian tumors and their association to the overall survival of patients was evaluated using Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses. RESULTS: Immunoreactivity for STS was detected in 65% of the tumors and no association was observed with histological subtypes and clinical stages of the tumor. The STS expression in the tumors exhibiting immunoreactive AR resulted in a reduced survival (log-rank test, p = 0.032) and a risk factor in univariate and multivariate analysis, HR = 3.46, CI95% 1.00-11.92, p = 0.049 and HR = 5.92, CI95% 1.34-26.09, p = 0.019, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that the intracellular synthesis of testosterone acting through its receptor can promote tumor growth and progression. Moreover, the simultaneous expression of STS and AR constitutes an independent predictor of poor prognosis in epithelial ovarian tumors.

Beta-blockers exert potent anti-tumor effects in cutaneous and uveal melanoma.

BACKGROUND: Melanoma is a life-threatening group of cancers mainly affecting the skin (cutaneous melanoma, CM) and the eyes (uveal melanoma, UM). Nearly half of patients with UM develop liver metastases regardless of the primary treatment. For this reason, adjuvant therapy to prevent disease progression is essential to improve survival of patients with melanoma. Beta-adrenoceptors (ß-AR) have emerged as novel targets to inhibit tumor growth and dissemination in CM, but have not been investigated in UM. METHODS: The aim of this study was to comprehensively evaluate the effects of a non-selective ß-blocker in UM and CM. Propranolol was tested on four UM and two CM cell lines to determine the effects of this beta-blocker. The expression of ß-AR in UM was assessed in enucleated eyes of 36 patients. RESULTS: The results showed that propranolol exerts potent anti-proliferative effects, attenuates migration, reduces VEGF and induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in both UM and CM in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, levels of cell-free DNA released from the cells correlated to propranolol treatment and may be an indicator of treatment response. Finally, immunohistochemical analysis revealed the expression of ß1 and ß2 adrenoceptors in all UM patients, with higher expression seen in the more aggressive epithelioid versus less aggressive spindle cells. CONCLUSIONS: Collectively our data suggest that a nonselective beta-blocker may be effective against melanoma. For the first time, we show potent anti-tumor effects in UM cells following propranolol administration and expression of ß1 and ß2 adrenoceptors in patient tissue.