Steroidogenesis in Steroid-Related Cancers
December 2016
in “
University of Birmingham Institutional Research Archive (University of Birmingham)
”
TLDR Steroid-producing capabilities in certain cancers may contribute to treatment resistance.
The study investigated the role of steroids in prostate and ovarian cancers, focusing on the steroidogenic capabilities of adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) cell lines. It found that ACC cell lines have similar steroidogenic capabilities to the adrenal cortex, and inhibition of the CYP17A1 enzyme did not cause a shift towards the alternative dihydrotestosterone (DHT) biosynthesis pathway in prostate cancer. This suggested that the adrenal gland might contribute to prostate cancer's resistance to treatment. Additionally, ovarian cancer cell lines showed steroidogenic capabilities, indicating that these tumors might be steroid-producing and/or dependent.
