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V C Jordan

Publications and source records attributed to V C Jordan.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Novel agents to modulate oestrogen action.

As women enter the menopause, the majority suffers symptoms associated with a dramatic fall in circulating levels of 17 beta-oestradiol and oestrone. As a result, the oestrogen protective effect against coronary artery disease and osteoporosis is lost. To solve these problems, hormone replacement therapy is often used. However, there are a number of side-effects including increased risk from breast and uterine cancer that can limit compliance. New drugs, called selective oestrogen modulators (SERMs), have been developed to mimic oestrogen's effects on the liver, heart and bones but without its harmful effects on the breast and uterus. SERMs are structurally diverse compounds that bind to oestrogen receptors and elicit agonist or antagonist responses depending on the target tissue and hormonal milieu. The drugs are being used, or evaluated, for the prevention of hormone-responsive breast cancer, osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease in postmenopausal women. Tamoxifen is the endocrine treatment of choice for breast cancer, but it also has beneficial effects on bone density and serum lipids in postmenopausal women. Recently, tamoxifen was shown to decrease the risk of invasive breast cancer in women at high risk. However, tamoxifen has some stimulatory effects on the endometrium. Raloxifene is used to prevent osteoporosis and fractures. Raloxifene also lowers circulating cholesterol and the incidence of invasive breast cancer in postmenopausal women but does not stimulate the endometrium. The SERMs have evolved from mere laboratory curiosities into drugs that hold promise for preventing several major diseases associated with ageing in women.

Breast Neoplasms↗

In vitro study of the effect of raloxifene on lipid metabolism compared with tamoxifen.

OBJECTIVE: Tamoxifen and raloxifene, selective estrogen receptor modulators, decrease serum concentrations of total cholesterol; however, the effect of these drugs on triglyceride metabolism is unclear. In the present study, we investigated the in vitro effect of raloxifene on lipid metabolism and compared it with that of tamoxifen. DESIGN AND METHODS: Intracellular concentrations of total cholesterol and triglyceride in HepG2 cells were measured by an enzymatic method after tamoxifen or raloxifene treatment with or without oleic acid and with or without very low density lipoprotein. RESULTS: Intracellular concentrations of total cholesterol and triglyceride without oleic acid or very low density lipoprotein were not significantly different after treatment with tamoxifen or raloxifene. In contrast, although raloxifene with oleic acid did not increase the intracellular concentrations of triglyceride, tamoxifen treatment in the presence of oleic acid or very low density lipoprotein significantly increased (P<0.05) the triglyceride concentrations. CONCLUSION: The present study suggests that raloxifene does not increase intracellular triglyceride in the presence of oleic acid or very low density lipoprotein, in contrast to tamoxifen. Therefore, raloxifene might be safer than tamoxifen for treating patients with unstable triglyceride levels or a history of hypertriglyceridemia.

Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal↗

A pilot study of the effects of short-term tamoxifen therapy on Ki-67 labelling index in women with primary breast cancer.

In this study we demonstrate the change in estrogen receptor (ER) level and cell proliferation in human breast cancer after a short-term tamoxifen therapy. Ten pre- and post-treatment breast tumor samples were examined immunohistochemically using ER and Ki-67 antibodies. Before tamoxifen treatment, six (60%) of ten patients were positive for ER. Tamoxifen increased the ER level in one patient and decreased the level in 4 patients. There was no significant change in ER level by tamoxifen therapy. On the other hand, Ki-67 labelling index (LI) significantly decreased after tamoxifen treatment. When Ki-67 LI was analyzed according to ER level, there was no difference between pre- and post-tamoxifen treatment in ER-negative patients, however, a significant decrease of Ki-67 LI by tamoxifen treatment was seen in ER-positive patients. Patients who showed down-regulation of ER expression tended to show a decrease of Ki-67 LI after tamoxifen therapy. In conclusion, short-term tamoxifen therapy decreased the proliferation of breast cancer, in ER-positive breast tumor samples.

Adult↗

Antitumor action of physiological estradiol on tamoxifen-stimulated breast tumors grown in athymic mice.

The estrogen receptor (ER)-positive MCF-7 breast cancer cell line can be transplanted into athymic mice and grown into tumors with estradiol (E2) support. Tamoxifen (TAM) blocks E2-stimulated tumor growth; however, continuous TAM treatment results in transplantable tumors within a year that will grow with either E2 or TAM (M. M. Gottardis and V. C. Jordan, Cancer Res., 48: 5183-5187, 1988). Although this model may represent the development of TAM resistance for the treatment of advanced breast cancer, no laboratory model exists to study the exposure of breast cancer to 5 years of adjuvant TAM therapy. We have addressed this issue and report the development and characterization of two tumor lines, MCF-7TAM and MT2, which have been serially transplanted into TAM-treated athymic mice for >5 years. The MCF-7TAM tumor rapidly regresses in response to E2 and then about 50% of tumors regrow in response to E2. Interestingly, tumor regression does not occur if TAM treatment is stopped, probably because E2 levels are too low in ovariectomized athymic mice. The development of the antitumor effect of E2 was documented for MT2 tumors over a 1-year period; TAM-stimulated tumor growth was retained, but E2 caused progressively less of a stimulatory effect. Most importantly, E2-stimulated tumors that regrew after initial tumor regression in both MCF-7TAM and MT2 lines were again responsive to TAM to block E2-stimulated growth. Unlike MCF-7 tumors, the MT2 tumor line contains a single point mutation, Asp351Tyr, in the ER, which was retained after the development of E2-stimulated regrowth. The mutation is associated with increased estrogen-like actions for the TAM-ER complex (A. S. Levenson et al., Br. J. Cancer, 77: 1812-1819, 1998), but we conclude that the mutant ER is not required for TAM resistance. On the basis of the new breast cancer models presented, we propose a cyclic sensitivity to TAM that may have important clinical implications: (a) it is possible that a woman's own estrogen may produce an antitumor effect on the presensitized micrometastatic disease after 5 years of TAM. Long-term antitumor action occurs because the drug is stopped, but resistance accumulates and tumors start to grow if adjuvant therapy is continued; and (b) although in the clinic TAM-resistant tumors respond to second-line therapies that cause estrogen withdrawal, e.g., pure antiestrogens or aromatase inhibitors, estrogen therapy may also be effective and return the tumor to TAM responsiveness. In this way, a hormone-responsive tumor may be controlled longer in the patient with advanced disease.

Animals↗

Rapid development of tamoxifen-stimulated mutant p53 breast tumors (T47D) in athymic mice.

MCF-7 cells are used routinely to study tamoxifen-stimulated drug resistance in vivo. However, unlike MCF-7 cells, T47D cells express mutant p53 protein and lose the estrogen receptor (ER) during long-term estrogen deprivation in vitro [Pink et al., Br. J. Cancer, 74: 1227-1236, 1996 (erratum, Br. J. Cancer, 75: 1557, 1997)]. As a result, T47D tumors may respond differently from MCF-7 tumors to long-term tamoxifen treatment. Ovariectomized athymic mice were given injections bilaterally with T47D cells (5 x 10(5)) into the mammary fat pads. A rapidly growing estradiol responsive tumor (T47D:E2) was established and 0.5 mg of tamoxifen given daily blocked estrogen-stimulated growth. In subsequent experiments, low doses of tamoxifen (0.17 mg or 0.5 mg) did not produce tamoxifen-stimulated tumors at 14 weeks, whereas high-dose tamoxifen (1.5 mg) consistently produced tamoxifen-stimulated tumors (T47D:Tam; 17 tumors/20 sites) at 8 weeks. In contrast, 1.5 mg of tamoxifen produced tamoxifen-stimulated MCF-7 tumors (MCF-7: Tam2) at a slower rate (20 weeks) and less consistently (14 tumors/26 sites). When the T47D:Tam tumor was passaged, it grew maximally with either 1.5 mg of tamoxifen or a 1-cm estradiol (premenopausal levels) capsule, and similar results were obtained with MCF-7:Tam2 tumors. Interestingly, when T47D:Tam tumors were treated with the 0.5 mg of tamoxifen, tumors grew only to 50% maximum. All of the tumors originating from MCF-7 and T47D cells expressed ER at similar levels; therefore, tamoxifen did not select for an ER-negative tumor. In conclusion, we have shown that tamoxifen-stimulated T47D p53 mutant tumors can be developed rapidly with high-dose therapy (1.5 mg daily). The results from this model provide new opportunities to investigate the rapid development of drug resistance to adjuvant tamoxifen in patients with mutant p53 breast tumors.

Animals↗

Cross-resistance of triphenylethylene-type antiestrogens but not ICI 182,780 in tamoxifen-stimulated breast tumors grown in athymic mice.

The triphenylethylene antiestrogens, idoxifene (Idox) and toremifene (Tor), are structurally related analogues of tamoxifen (Tam) and were developed to improve the therapeutic index for advanced breast cancer patients. However, the issue of cross-resistance with Tam for these new agents is critical for clinical testing because the majority of breast cancer patients have already received or failed adjuvant Tam. The goal of this study was to determine the effectiveness of Idox as an antitumor agent in three models of Tam-stimulated breast cancer in athymic mice and compare the results with the actions of Tor and ICI 182,780 in a Tam-stimulated MCF-7 tumor model. We first compared the activities of Tam and Idox in the 17beta-estradiol (E2)-stimulated MCF-7 tumor line MT2:E2. Tam and Idox reduced E2-stimulated growth by 65-70% (week 9: P = 0.0009 for Tam, P = 0.0005 for Idox versus E2 alone). However, Tam (1.5 mg daily) and Idox (1.0 mg daily) both produced T47D breast tumors in athymic mice during 23 weeks of treatment (12 tumors/22 sites and 15 tumors/18 sites, respectively). Tam and Idox stimulated tumor growth equally in two different Tam-stimulated MCF-7 models and in a T47D model. Tor was completely cross-resistant with Tam in the MCF-7 tumor model, which implied that neither Idox nor Tor would be effective as a second-line endocrine therapy after Tam failure and may offer no therapeutic advantages over Tam as adjuvant therapies. In contrast, ICI 182,780, a pure antiestrogen currently being tested as a treatment for breast cancer after Tam failure, had no growth-stimulatory effect on the MCF-7 Tam-stimulated breast tumor line. This agent may provide an advantage as an adjuvant therapy and increase the time to treatment failure.

Animals↗

The interaction of raloxifene and the active metabolite of the antiestrogen EM-800 (SC 5705) with the human estrogen receptor.

A naturally occurring mutation at amino acid 351 (D351Y) in the human estrogen receptor (ER) can change the pharmacology of antiestrogens. Raloxifene is converted from an antiestrogen to an estrogen, whereas the biological properties of the steroidal pure antiestrogen ICI 182,780 are not affected by the D351Y ER (Levenson, A. S., and Jordan, V. C. Cancer Res., 58: 1872-1875, 1998). We propose an assay system that can be used to classify antiestrogens by determining their ability to up-regulate transforming growth factor alpha (TGF-alpha) mRNA in MDA-MB-231 cells stably transfected with either wild-type or D351Y ER. The novel compound EM-800 and its active metabolite, EM-652, have been reported to be p.o. active nonsteroidal pure antiestrogens. Using the D351Y cell line, EM-652 is able to up-regulate TGF-alpha mRNA in a dose-dependent manner and to a similar extent as estradiol, whereas in the wild-type cell line, it acts as an antiestrogen. In addition, the pure antiestrogen ICI 182,780 is capable of inhibiting EM-652-induced TGF-alpha mRNA expression at the D351Y ER. In MCF-7 cells expressing wild-type ER, it has previously been shown that ICI 182,780 decreases ER only at the protein level. EM-652 treatment does not decrease ER protein levels to a similar extent as ICI 182,780 treatment, and, in addition, EM-652 has no effect on ER mRNA levels. In proliferation assays, EM-652 is as effective as raloxifene in inhibiting cell growth. From these studies, we conclude that the reason the pharmacology of EM-652 is similar to that of raloxifene is because they both fit the ER in the same manner, and their biology depends on an interaction of the antiestrogenic side chain with amino acid 351.

Benzopyrans↗

The effect of raloxifene on risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women: results from the MORE randomized trial. Multiple Outcomes of Raloxifene Evaluation.

CONTEXT: Raloxifene hydrochloride is a selective estrogen receptor modulator that has antiestrogenic effects on breast and endometrial tissue and estrogenic effects on bone, lipid metabolism, and blood clotting. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether women taking raloxifene have a lower risk of invasive breast cancer. DESIGN AND SETTING: The Multiple Outcomes of Raloxifene Evaluation (MORE), a multicenter, randomized, double-blind trial, in which women taking raloxifene or placebo were followed up for a median of 40 months (SD, 3 years), from 1994 through 1998, at 180 clinical centers composed of community settings and medical practices in 25 countries, mainly in the United States and Europe. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 7705 postmenopausal women, younger than 81 (mean age, 66.5) years, with osteoporosis, defined by the presence of vertebral fractures or a femoral neck or spine T-score of at least 2.5 SDs below the mean for young healthy women. Almost all participants (96%) were white. Women who had a history of breast cancer or who were taking estrogen were excluded. INTERVENTION: Raloxifene, 60 mg, 2 tablets daily; or raloxifene, 60 mg, 1 tablet daily and 1 placebo tablet; or 2 placebo tablets. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: New cases of breast cancer, confirmed by histopathology. Transvaginal ultrasonography was used to assess the endometrial effects of raloxifene in 1781 women. Deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism were determined by chart review. RESULTS: Thirteen cases of breast cancer were confirmed among the 5129 women assigned to raloxifene vs 27 among the 2576 women assigned to placebo (relative risk [RR], 0.24; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.13-0.44; P<.001). To prevent 1 case of breast cancer, 126 women would need to be treated. Raloxifene decreased the risk of estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer by 90% (RR, 0.10; 95% CI, 0.04-0.24), but not estrogen receptor-negative invasive breast cancer (RR, 0.88; 95% CI, 0.26-3.0). Raloxifene increased the risk of venous thromboembolic disease (RR, 3.1; 95% CI, 1.5-6.2), but did not increase the risk of endometrial cancer (RR, 0.8; 95% CI, 0.2-2.7). CONCLUSION: Among postmenopausal women with osteoporosis, the risk of invasive breast cancer was decreased by 76% during 3 years of treatment with raloxifene.

Aged↗

Development of a new prevention maintenance therapy for postmenopausal women.

In spring 1998, breast cancer prevention emerged from being a concept to being a reality. The National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project prevention trial showed that tamoxifen reduced breast cancer by 45% in high-risk women between the ages of 35 and 75. Additionally, an evaluation of 10,550 patients randomized to osteoporosis trials of placebo versus raloxifene demonstrated a 50% reduction in the incidence of breast cancer in woman taking raloxifene. For the future, a Study of Tamoxifen Against Raloxifene (STAR) is ongoing in high-risk postmenopausal women. This chapter describes the biological rationale for the current clinical advances.

Adult↗

Hormonal therapy for breast cancer. An update.

The use of endocrine manipulation for the treatment of breast cancer has been available for 100 years, but in recent years the number of therapeutic options available to patients has increased dramatically. This article considers new developments in the use of hormonal agents for the treatment and prevention of breast cancer.

Aromatase Inhibitors↗

Selective oestrogen receptor modulation: molecular pharmacology for the millennium.

Knowledge of the mechanism of action and pharmacology of tamoxifen and raloxifene, for the prevention of breast cancer and osteoporosis respectively, has opened the door for the discovery of multifunctional medicines. There is now the potential to prevent osteoporosis, coronary heart disease, breast and endometrial cancer in postmenopausal women with elevated risk factors.

Breast Neoplasms↗

Selective oestrogen receptor modulation: molecular pharmacology for the millennium.

Knowledge of the mechanism of action and pharmacology of tamoxifen and raloxifene, for the prevention of breast cancer and osteoporosis respectively, has opened the door for the discovery of multifunctional medicines. There is now the potential to prevent osteoporosis, coronary heart disease, breast and endometrial cancer in postmenopausal women with elevated risk factors.

Breast Neoplasms↗

The estrogen receptor: a logical target for the prevention of breast cancer with antiestrogens.

A strategy for the prevention of breast cancer has been refined over the last century beginning with the first observation that oophorectomy caused disease regression in some patients, to the identification of the estrogen receptor some 60 years later, and finally to the synthesis of the first nonsteroidal antiestrogen. Tamoxifen was the first clinically useful antiestrogen and has been used for the treatment of breast cancer for the last twenty-one years in the United States. It is therefore a logical progression that antiestrogens are now recognized as useful agents for the prevention of breast cancer. We will discuss the estrogen receptor as a target for the treatment and now the prevention of breast cancer. Data from the National Surgical and Bowel Project (NSABP)4 tamoxifen prevention trial will be discussed with the preliminary results of two other European studies. The status of breast cancer prevention to date involves the comparison of the current standard of prevention, tamoxifen, with the osteoporosis prevention drug, raloxifene in an ongoing trial called Study of Tamoxifen and Raloxifene (STAR).

Animals↗