Hormones, Genes and Cancer

Hormonal carcinogenesis is an important and controversial area of research. In addition to accelerating existing cancers, can hormones play the role of primary carcinogens? And how do genetic factors influence hormone-related cancer risk? This work addresses these questions. During the last few decades of the 20th century, cancer research focused on external environmental causes (for example, tobacco smoke, viruses, asbestos). With the advent of genetic sequencing techniques, we are just now beginning to understand how the body's internal environment (that is, the hormones and growth factors that determine normal development) influences cancer etiology and prevention. From molecular insights to clinical analyses, this volume provides state-of-the-art information on the complex interactions between hormones and genes and cancer. The epidemiology and molecular endocrinology of prostate, breast, uterine, ovarian and testicular cancer are detailed in this timely treatise.