The expression and activity of key enzymes of sex steroid metabolism have major implications in both development and progression of various human hormone-related tumors, including breast, prostate, lung, and liver cancer.
This volume explores the role of local synthesis of steroid hormones, a process that has assumed an increasing importance in our understanding about several malignancies originating from steroid target tissues, wherein abnormal levels of individual steroids may promote tumor growth. In this framework, a divergent expression and/or activity of key gonadal steroid enzymes (including dehydrogenases, hydroxylases, sulfotransferases, sulfatases, and aromatase) may eventually lead to a differential accumulation of hormone derivatives with divergent biological activities in individual target tissues. This is of crucial importance in predicting the overall biological impact that sex steroids have on peripheral target tissues and, hence, on their potential role in cancer development and/or progression.

The volume focuses on five key enzymes in the metabolism of sex steroids: (1) 17βhydroxysteroid dehydrogenase; (2) 5αreductase; (3) hydroxylases and catechol-oxy methyltransferase; (4) sulfatase, sulfotransferases, and glucuronidase; and (5) aromatase.

The organization of the volume is designed to provide an updated picture of the existing knowledge about the association between steroid enzyme expression/function and the development and/or progression of major human cancers, including classical (breast, prostate) and nonclassical (lung, liver) hormone-related tumors. The resulting inferences for diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment are also presented, along with the experimental basis for developing preventive measures.

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