Abstract
Adrenergic signaling results from the effects of the catecholamines epinephrine and norepinephrine, on alpha- and beta-adrenergic receptors. In breast cancer, preclinical models suggest that this pathway may influence breast cancer progression through 1) increasing tumor cell survival after exposure to chemotherapeutic agents; 2) increasing breast cancer cell proliferation; and 3) altering the tumor microenvironment in angiogenesis and the inflammatory response. Epidemiologic data have suggested a correlation between drugs that indirectly affect the adrenergic pathway and breast cancer incidence. In addition, there is retrospective evidence suggesting that the use of β-adrenergic blockers in early stage breast cancer patients correlates with an increased time to recurrence. Here we review evidence from both pre-clinical models and epidemiological studies that have examined the question of whether adrenergic signaling may modify breast cancer biology.
Original language | English (US) |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 161-169 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Cancer Biomarkers |
Volume | 13 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Aug 19 2013 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Breast cancer
- HPA axis
- adrenergic signaling
- glucocorticoids
- stress
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Oncology
- Genetics
- Cancer Research