Carcinogenesis and Sex Hormones: A Review

Abstract

Carcinogenesis has a multifactorial etiology. The underlying molecular pathogenesis is still poorly understood. Apart from major risk factors like tobacco, alcohol, infections, there have been some recent and less known factors like endocrine hormones. Sex hormones receptors lie outside sex organs in organs like larynx and lungs where they play a role in gene expression involved in lot of physiological and neoplastic processes. The present article is an attempt to highlight role of various sex hormones in development of carcinogenesis, particularly Head and Neck cancers (HNC).