Ghrelin and Breast Cancer: Emerging Roles in Obesity, Estrogen Regulation, and Cancer.

Lead researcher

Dr. Kristy A. Brown

Main finding

This review summarizes our current understanding of the role of the gut-derived peptide hormones, ghrelin and des-acyl ghrelin, in hormone-dependent cancers, breast cancer in particular.

Centre

Centre for Cancer Research

Research group

Metabolism and Cancer

Co-authors

CheukMan Cherie Au, Professor John B. Furness and Dr. Kristy A. Brown

Journal and article title

Most surprising

The ghrelin/des-acyl ghrelin-cancer axis is complex, one reason being that tumour cells have been shown to express splice variants of ghrelin, and ghrelin and des-acyl ghrelin might act at receptors other than the cognate ghrelin receptor in tumours. Effects of ghrelin and des-acyl ghrelin on energy homeostasis may also affect tumor development and growth.

Future implications

The gut-derived peptide hormones ghrelin and des-acyl ghrelin may be useful for the treatment of breast cancer with limited toxicity.

Disease/health impact

Breast cancer