Paradoxical Response of Metastatic Breast Cancer to 17-Ethyl-19-Nortestosterone
Authors: KENDALL EMERSON
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1961)

Article1 November 1961Paradoxical Response of Metastatic Breast Cancer to 17-Ethyl-19-NortestosteroneKENDALL EMERSON JR., M.D., JURG MULLER, M.D., ADELINA DE SOUZA, M.D., GEORGE LOUTFI, M.D.KENDALL EMERSON JR., M.D.Search for more papers by this author, JURG MULLER, M.D.Search for more papers by this author, ADELINA DE SOUZA, M.D.Search for more papers by this author, GEORGE LOUTFI, M.D.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-55-5-742 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptWhereas the beneficial effect of testosterone in the palliative treatment of breast cancer has been well established (1), it has not been as generally appreciated that this hormone may exert an adverse effect on the course of this disease in some patients. Farrow and Woodward (2) were the first to point out that in occasional patients testosterone produces a dangerous rise in serum calcium. Since then, a number of reports (3-5) have appeared of severe toxic reactions, characterized by hypercalcemia, uremia, and coma occurring in patients with extensive osteolytic metastases from breast cancer during treatment with both androgens and estrogens....References1. : Current status of hormone therapy of advanced mammary cancer. J. A. M. A. 146: 471, 1951. MedlineGoogle Scholar2. FARROWWOODWARD JHHS: The influence of androgenic and estrogenic substances on the serum calcium in cases of skeletal metastases from mammary cancer. J. A. M. A. 118: 339, 1942. CrossrefGoogle Scholar3. HERRMANNKIRSTENKRAKAUER JBEJS: Hypercalcemic syndrome associated with androgenic and estrogenic treatment. J. Clin. Endocr. 9: 1, 1949. CrossrefGoogle Scholar4. 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A. 172: 1271, 1960. Google Scholar11. VALLEE BL: Simultaneous determination of sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium and strontium by a new multichannel flamespectrometer. Nature 174: 1050, 1954. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar12. ENGELSLAUNWHITECARTERNATHANSON LLWRPIT: Separation of natural estrogens by countercurrent distribution. J. Biol. Chem. 185: 255, 1950. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar13. MYERSWESTPEARSONKARNOFSKY WPCDOHDA: Androgen-induced exacerbation of breast cancer measured by calcium excretion. Conversion of androgen to estrogen as a possible underlying mechanism. J. A. M. A. 161: 127, 1956. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar14. STEINACHKUN EH: Transformation of male sex hormones into a substance with the action of a female hormone. Lancet 2: 845, 1937. CrossrefGoogle Scholar15. HOSKINSCOFFMANKOCHKENYON WHJRFDAT: The effect of testosterone propionate on the urinary excretion of androgens and estrogens in eunuchoidism. Endocrinology 24: 702, 1939. CrossrefGoogle Scholar16. DORFMANHAMILTON RIJB: The urinary excretion of estrogenic substances after the administration of testosterone propionate. Endocrinology 25: 33, 1939. CrossrefGoogle Scholar17. NATHANSONENGELKELLEYEKMANSPAULDINGELLIOTT ITLLRMGKHJ: The effect of androgens on the urinary excretion of ketosteroids, nonketonic alcohols and estrogens. J. Clin. Endocr. 12: 1172, 1952. CrossrefGoogle Scholar18. BAGGETTENGELSAVARDDORFMAN BLLKRI: The conversion of testosterone-3-C14 to C14-estradiol-17 by human ovarian tissue. J. Biol. Chem. 221: 931, 1956. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar19. WESTDAMASTSARROPEARSON CDBLSDOH: Conversion of testosterone to estrogens in castrated, adrenalectomized human females. J. Biol. Chem. 218: 409, 1956. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar20. RYAN KJ: Metabolism of C16-oxygenated steroids by human placenta: the formation of estriol. J. Biol. Chem. 234: 2006, 1959. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar21. WILSONJESSIMANMOORE REAGFD: Severe exacerbation of cancer of the breast after oophorectomy and adrenalectomy. New Engl. J. Med. 258: 312, 1958. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar22. PASCHKISRAKOFF KEAE: Some aspects of the physiology of estrogenic hormones, in Recent Progress in Hormone Research, Academic Press, New York, 1950, Vol. 5. Google Scholar23. DEDERICKHALL MMTC: A second look at the estrogen stimulation test. Proc. Amer. Ass. Cancer Res. 3: 105, 1960. Google Scholar24. EMERSON K: The endocrine management of breast cancer. Med. Clin. N. Amer. 44: 1393, 1960. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: KENDALL EMERSONJR., M.D.; JURG MULLER, M.D.; ADELINA DE SOUZA, M.D.; GEORGE LOUTFI, M.D.Affiliations: Boston, MassachusettsFrom the Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, and the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital, Boston, Mass.Supported in part by grants from the United States Public Health Service, American Cancer Society, and the Damon Runyon Memorial Fund.Requests for reprints should be addressed to Kendall Emerson, Jr., M.D., Peter Bent Brigham Hospital, Boston 15, Mass. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited byStructure and effects of anabolic steroidsResorption, Verteilung und Ausscheidung der GestageneBibliographyCarcinoma of the BreastTumors and HormonesANABOLIC STEROID THERAPY IN THE MANAGEMENT OF CANCER: A SUMMARY*Anabolic SteroidsTHE MANAGEMENT OF THE PATIENT WITH INOPERABLE MALIGNANT DISEASE 1 November 1961Volume 55, Issue 5Page: 742-748KeywordsBreast cancerComaEstrogensHormonesHospital medicineHypercalcemiaMedical servicesPalliative carePatientsTestosterone ePublished: 1 December 2008 Issue Published: 1 November 1961 PDF downloadLoading ...