ESTROGEN CONTENT AND DNA UNWINDING IN TUMOR AND NORMAL ENDOMETRIAL TISSUE OF AGING ENDOMETRIAL CANCER-PATIENTS

Over the past years, data on the role of DNA damage in hormonal carcin ogenesis have been accumulated. In 21 endometrial cancer (EC) patients (mean age 61.8+/-1.6 years), no difference between malignant and norm al endometrium in estradiol content (radioimmunological assay) and in alkali-induced DNA unwinding as a measure of DNA strand breakage (fluo rometrical assay) was discovered. At the same time (contrary to normal endometrium), there were no correlations between the estradiol conten t in malignant endometrium with DNA unwinding or blood estrogen level. The estradiol concentration in malignant endometrium increases with a ge in menopausal EC patients, though no correlation between estrogen c ontent in endometrial tissue and body weight was discovered. DNA unwin ding rate in malignant endometrium correlates only with the concentrat ion of steroid receptors in normal endometrial tissue. It may be possi ble that before the appearing of any neoplastic changes in the endomet rium, a higher level of estradiol in the target tissue leads to DNA da mage which may be considered as a factor predisposing to tumor develop ment. Practically speaking this would mean that the estradiol content and DNA unwinding level in endometrial tumors may be used in future as indicators for therapeutic intervention (first of all, during the hor mone therapy of EC) and also as markers for the evaluation of the effe ctiveness of the latter.