Most breast cancers at diagnosis are estrogen receptor-positive (ERþ) and depend on estrogen for growth and survival. Blocking estrogen biosynthesis by aromatase inhibitors has therefore become a first-line endocrine therapy for postmenopausal women with ERþ breast cancers. Despite providing substantial improvements in patient outcome, aromatase inhibitor resistance remains amajor clinical chal...

Epidemiologic studies have implicated estrogenic exposure as well as human papilloma virus (HPV) infection in cervical carcinogenesis, and some studies have suggested that estrogen and HPV may play synergistic roles in cervical tumorigenesis. In this study, we report a novel finding that approximately 35% of cervical carcinomas tested (n = 19) express aromatase, the enzyme responsible for conve...

• Nonsteroidal, type II (reversible) anti-aromatases, termed aromatase inhibitors. The first clinically available drug, aminoglutethimide (AG), belongs to this class. Aminoglutethimide is nonspecific and requires patients to associate a corticosteroid. Two newer, more specific agents that are administered orally and act solely on aromatase have been tested: letrozole (Let) (2.5 mg/day) and anas...

Orally active aromatase inhibitors (AIs) have gained attention for treatment of infertile women with endometriosis in whom aromatase p450 is aberrantly expressed. This review aimed to critically appraise and summarize the available evidence concerning the use of AIs for management of endometriosis-associated infertility. PubMed was searched to May 2015 with the following key words: endometriosi...

Epidemiologic studies have implicated estrogenic exposure as well as human papilloma virus (HPV) infection in cervical carcinogenesis, and some studies have suggested that estrogen and HPV may play synergistic roles in cervical tumorigenesis. In this study, we report a novel finding that f35% of cervical carcinomas tested (n = 19) express aromatase, the enzyme responsible for converting androge...

In postmenopausal breast cancers, locally produced estrogen by adipose stromal cells causes the progression of tumor growth. Although aromatase, a key enzyme of estrogen synthesis, is highly expressed in the adipose stromal cells, and aromatase inhibitors show greater efficacy in postmenopausal breast cancers, the mechanism of increasing aromatase activity in the stromal cells remains unclear. ...

In postmenopausal breast cancers, locally produced estrogen by adipose stromal cells causes the progression of tumor growth. Although aromatase, a key enzyme of estrogen synthesis, is highly expressed in the adipose stromal cells, and aromatase inhibitors show greater efficacy in postmenopausal breast cancers, the mechanism of increasing aromatase activity in the stromal cells remains unclear. ...