EFFECT OF INTERFERONS ON HORMONE-RECEPTOR LEVELS OF ENDOMETRIAL CANCER-CELLS

Endometrial cancer is a hormone sensitive tumor. Hormone receptor posi tive tumors respond better to progestins than hormone receptor negativ e tumors. Interferon has been shown to increase the hormone receptor l evel of melanocytes, breast and endometrial cancer. We have previously shown that interferons enhance the progesterone receptor level of AE- 7 endometrial cancer cell line, which has a considerably high baseline level of progesterone receptors (201+/-19.7 fmole/mg of proteins). In this study the effect of interferons of two other endometrial cancer cell lines (HEC-1A and HEC-1B), with a low baseline level of estrogen and progesterone receptor levels (25+/-7-32+/-8 fmole/mg of proteins), was studied. Interferons have shown to possess similar cytostatic act ivity in the endometrial cancer cells studied, regardless of their hor mone receptor status. However, hormone receptor levels in cells with l ow baseline hormone receptor levels were not significantly affected by the four interferons studied.