Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • News & Views
  • Published:

Is breast cancer a potential side effect of GH treatment?

Nature Medicine volume 3, pages 1081–1082 (1997)Cite this article

Infusion of aging monkeys with growth hormone promotes proliferation of mammary epithelia, suggesting caution in treating the elderly with growth hormone supplements (pages 1141–1144).

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References

  1. Rudman, D. et al. Effects of human growth hormone on body composition in elderly men. Horm. Res. 36 (Suppl. 1), 73–81 (1991).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Gelato, M.C. Aging and immune function: A possible role for growth hormone. Horm. Res. 45, 46–49 (1996).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Toogood, A.A., O'Neill, P.A. & Shalet, S.M. Beyond the somatopause: Growth hormone deficiency in adults over the age of 60 years. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 81, 460–465 (1996).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Ghiron, L.J. et al. Effects of recombinant insulin-like growth factor-l and growth hormone on bone turnover in elderly patients. J. Bone Miner. Res. 10, 1844–1852 (1995).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Thompson, J.L. et al. The effects of recombinant human insulin-like growth factor-l and growth hormone on body composition in elderly patients. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 80, 1845–1852 (1995).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Welle, S., Thornton, C., Statt, M. & McHenry, B. Growth hormone increases muscle mass and strength but does not rejuvenate myofibrillar protein synthesis in healthy subjects over 60 years old. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 81, 3239–3243 (1996).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Ng, S.T. et al. Growth hormone treatment induces mammary gland hyperplasia in aging primates. Nature Med. 3, 1141–1144 (1997).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. De León, D.D., Powers, M., Wilson, D.M. & Rosenfeld, R.G. Effects of insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) and IGF receptor antibodies in human breast cancer Cell proliferation. Growth Factors 6, 327–336 (1992).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Stoll, B.A. Growth hormone and breast cancer. Clinical Oncolog 4, 4–5 (1992).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Yang, X.F., Beamer, W.G., Huynh, H. & Pollack, M. Reduced growth of human breast cancer xenografts in hosts homozygous for the lit mutation. Cancer. Res. 56, 1509–1511 (1996).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Moll, J.A., Van Garderen, E., Rutteman, G.R. & Rijnberk, A. New insights into the molecular mechanism of progestin-induced proliferation of mammary epithelium: induction of the local biosynthesis of growth hormone (GH) in the mammary glands of dogs, cats and humans. J. Steroid Biochem. Mol. Biol. 57, 67–71 (1996).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Decouvelaere, C., Peyrat, J.P., Bonneterre, J., Djiane, J. & Jammes, H. Presence of the two growth hormone receptor messenger RNA iso-forms in human breast cancer. Cell Growth Differ. 4, 477–483 (1995).

    Google Scholar 

  13. Van Farderen, E. et al. Expression of GH in canine mammary tissue and mammary tumors. Evidence for a potential autocrine/paracrine stimulatory loop. Am. J. Pathol. 150, 1037–1047 (1997).

    Google Scholar 

  14. Mauras, N., Martha, P.M., Quarmby, V. & Haymond, M.W. rhIGF-l administration in humans: Differential metabolic effects of bolus vs. continuous subcutaneous delivery. Am. J. Physiol. 272, E628–E633 (1997).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, California, 92350, USA

    Daisy D. De leon

  2. Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, 61801, USA

    Sharon M. Donovan

Authors
  1. Daisy D. De leon
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Sharon M. Donovan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

De leon, D., Donovan, S. Is breast cancer a potential side effect of GH treatment?. Nat Med 3, 1081–1082 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1038/nm1097-1081

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nm1097-1081

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing