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Follicle-Stimulating Hormone Receptor (FSHR): A Promising Tool in Oncology?

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Abstract

The cellular pathway of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and its receptor (FSHR) is typically involved in reproduction in mammals. In humans, the FSHR is normally found in cells of the testis and the ovary, while it is scarcely expressed in other normal tissues. The expression of FSH/FSHR is studied in prostate, thyroid, and ovarian cancer tissues. Recently, the expression of FSHR was uniformly documented in malignant vascular endothelial cells from different tumor types, while in normal or inflammatory tissues its expression was scarce, suggesting a potential role of a pan-receptor in cancer. Subsequent studies have attempted to verify this unique specificity of this molecule and further define its features in malignant microenvironments but have had conflicting results, mostly because of differing techniques and immaturity of antibodies. Still, the lack of FSHR expression in most non-cancerous cells, in contrast to its specific correlation with the malignant tissue microenvironment, implies a potential role as both a diagnostic and a therapeutic tool. FSHR might also have a very specific role in malignancies, such as angiogenic and/or growth factor malignancies, but this is yet to be validated. Moreover, the expression of FSHR in endothelial malignant cells could have a predictive impact on disease progression, especially in relation to therapies targeting the tumor vasculature. In this review we look deep into the physiology of the FSH/FSHR pathway and evaluate the potential of FSHR as a predictive and prognostic tool in oncology.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medical Oncology, University Hospital of Antwerp, 10 Wilrijksraat, 2650, Edegem, Belgium

    Konstantinos Papadimitriou, Christian Rolfo & Marc Peeters

  2. Department of Medical Oncology, B.O.C. Oncology Centre, Nicosia, Cyprus

    Panteleimon Kountourakis

  3. Department of Medical Oncology, University Hospital of Patra, Rio, Greece

    Anastasia E. Kottorou, Anna G. Antonacopoulou & Haralabos P. Kalofonos

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  1. Konstantinos Papadimitriou
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  2. Panteleimon Kountourakis
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  3. Anastasia E. Kottorou
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  4. Anna G. Antonacopoulou
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Correspondence to Konstantinos Papadimitriou.

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Konstantinos Papadimitriou, Panteleimon Kountourakis, Anastasia E. Kottorou, Anna G. Antonacopoulou, Christian Rolfo, Marc Peeters, and Haralabos P. Kalofonos have declared no conflicts of interest.

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No funding was received to conduct the study described in the manuscript or to assist with the preparation of the manuscript.

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Papadimitriou, K., Kountourakis, P., Kottorou, A.E. et al. Follicle-Stimulating Hormone Receptor (FSHR): A Promising Tool in Oncology?. Mol Diagn Ther 20, 523–530 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40291-016-0218-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40291-016-0218-z

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