Summary
Certain commonly taken pharmaceutical preparations induce increased levels of plasma prolactin. The effects of these drugs on (a) tumor steroid receptors and metabolism, and (b) plasma hormones and hormone binding proteins have been studied in postmenopausal women with breast cancer. Two groups have been compared, 18 patients on drug treatment for at least 2 months and 15 subjects with no history of drug ingestion. Patients taking medication had significantly higher levels of plasma prolactin compared with control women. No significant difference was observed between the groups with regard to the plasma concentrations of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHA) and its sulphate (DHS), testosterone, estrone, estradiol-17β, sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG), and albumin. Similarly, no difference was observed between these two groups with regard to estrogen receptor (ER), progestogen receptor (PR), or androgen receptor (AR) levels in the tumors nor their ability to metabolize (7−3H) testosterone. It is considered that the ingestion of these drugs does not affect tumor mechanisms involving steroids.
References
Department of Health and Social Security, Personal communication, 1981
Stoll BA:In BA Stoll (ed). Risk Factors in Breast Cancer. Heinemann Medical Books, London, 1976, p 193
Turkington RW: Prolactin secretion in patients treated with various drugs. Arch Intern Med 130:349, 1972
Kleinberg DL, Noel LE, Frantz AE: Chlorpromazine stimulation and L-Dopa suppression of plasma prolactin in man. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 33:873, 1971
Langer E, Ferin M, Soeher EJ: Effect of haloperidol and L-Dopa on plasma prolactin in stalk sectioned and intact monkeys. Endocrinology 102:367, 1978
Horrobin DF: Prolactin: Physiology and Clinical Significance. Medical and Technical Publishing Co Ltd, 1973, p 105
Meyles L (ed): Side Effects of Drugs. Excerpta Medica Foundations, 1963, p 32
Judd SJ, Lazarus L, Smythe G: Prolactin secretion by metoclopramide in man. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 43:313, 1976
Burland WL, Gleadle RI, Lee RM, Rowley-Jones D, Groom GU: Prolactin response to cimetidine. Br J Clin Pharmacol 7:19, 1979
Wilson RG, Buchan R, Roberts MM, Forest APM, Boyns AR, Cole EN, Griffiths K: Prolactin and breast cancer. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Medicine 66:865, 1973
Robyn C, Delvoye P, Nokin J, Vekemans M, Badawi M, Perez Lopez FR, L'Hermite M.In JL Pasteels and C Robyn (ed). Human Prolactin. Excerpta Medica, 1972, p 167
Welsch CW, Nagasawa H: Prolactin and murine mammary tumorigenesis. Cancer Res 37:951, 1977
Buchan P, Fraser AT, Miller WR: The effect of perphenazine treatment on testosterone metabolism by established rat mammary carcinomas. Biochem Soc Trans 4:1100, 1976
Shafie S, Brooks SC: The effect of prolactin on growth and estrogen receptor level of human breast cancer. Cancer Res 37:792, 1977
Vermeulen A, Ando S: Prolactin and adrenal androgen secretion. Clin Endocrinol 8:295, 1978
Wang DY, Moore JW, Thomas BS, Bulbrook RD, Hoare SA, Tong D, Hayward JL: Plasma and urinary androgens in women with varying degrees of risk of breast cancer. Eur J Cancer 15:1269, 1979
Hwang P, Robertson M, Guyda H, Friesen H: The purification of human prolactin from frozen pituitary glands. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 36:1110, 1973
Bagshaw KD: Computer controlled automated radioimmunoassay. Laboratory Practice 24:573, 1975
Buster JE, Abraham GE: Radioimmunoassay of plasma dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate. Anal Lett 5:543, 1973
Hillier SG, Brownsey BG, Cameron EHD: Some observations on the determination of testosterone in human plasma by radioimmunoassay using antisera raised against testosterone-3-BSA and testosterone-11-BSA. Steroids 21:735, 1975
Rosner W: A simplified method for the quantitative determination of testosterone oestradiol binding globulin activity in human plasma. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 34:983, 1972
Hawkins RA, Hill A, Freedman B: A simple method for the determination of oestrogen receptor concentrations in breast tumours and other tissues. Clin Chim Acta 64:203, 1975
Scatchard G: The attraction of proteins for small molecules and ions. Ann NY Acad Sci 51:660, 1949
Bradford MM: A rapid and sensitive method for the quantitation of microgram quantities of protein utilizing the principle of protein-dye binding. Anal Biochem 72:248, 1976
Miller WR, Forrest APM: Oestradiol synthesis by a human breast carcinoma. Lancet 2:866, 1974
Miller WR, Forrest APM, Hamilton T: Steroid metabolism by human breast and rat mammary carcinoma. Steroids 23:379, 1974
Wilson RG: MD Thesis, University of Nottingham, 1976.
De Waard F, Kwa HG, Poortman J: Plasma prolactin levels in women at postmenopausal age with a family history of breast cancer or a prescription for antihypertensive rauwolfia treatment. Oncology 37:33, 1980
Metcalf ME, Espiner EA, Donald RA: Lack of effect of prolactin suppression on plasma dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate. Endocrinology 10:539, 1979
Parker L, Perrigo V, Skowsky R: Lack of adrenal androgen stimulation by ACTH in extreme hyperprolactinaemia. Arch Androl 3:259, 1979
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Mason, R.C., Miller, W.R., Hawkins, R.A. et al. Effects of drugs associated with hyperprolactinemia on plasma steroids and on steroid receptors and metabolism in human breast cancer. Breast Cancer Res Tr 3, 331–338 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01807585
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01807585