Department of Pathology, Tohoku University School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan.
In human estrogen-dependent neoplasms such as breast, endometrioid endometrial, and surface epithelial-stromal ovarian carcinomas, intratumoral aromatase is considered to play important roles in converting circulating androgens derived from adrenal cortex and/or ovary to estrogens, possibly in association with 17 beta-HSD type 1 and estrogen sulfatase. Analysis of intratumoral aromatase in these estrogen-dependent neoplasms is important not only in understanding the development and biological behavior of these tumors, but also in the clinical management of these patients, because suppression of intratumoral aromatase by newly developed aromatase inhibitors may provide new potentials in endocrine therapy of these patients.