Open AccessNeural plasticity of the uterus: New targets for endometrial cancer?
Author(s) -
Pia Español Lloret,
Rocio Luna,
Cristina Soler,
Pablo Caruana,
Amanda Altés-Arranz,
Francisco Rodríguez,
Oriol Porta,
Olga del Río Sánchez,
Elisa Llurba,
Ramón Rovira,
María Virtudes Céspedes
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
women's health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.363
H-Index - 39
eISSN - 1745-5065
pISSN - 1745-5057
DOI - 10.1177/17455057221095537
Subject(s) - endometrial cancer , uterus , endocrine system , estrogen , cancer , hormone , medicine , malignancy , neuroplasticity , cancer research , biology , neuroscience
Endometrial carcinoma is the most common gynecological malignancy in Western countries and is expected to increase in the following years because of the high index of obesity in the population. Recently, neural signaling has been recognized as part of the tumor microenvironment, playing an active role in tumor progression and invasion of different solid tumor types. The uterus stands out for the physiological plasticity of its peripheral nerves due to cyclic remodeling brought on by estrogen and progesterone hormones throughout the reproductive cycle. Therefore, a precise understanding of nerve-cancer crosstalk and the contribution of the organ-intrinsic neuroplasticity, mediated by estrogen and progesterone, of the uterine is urgently needed. The development of new and innovative medicines for patients with endometrial cancer would increase their quality of life and health. This review compiles information on the architecture and function of autonomous uterine neural innervations and the influence of hormone-dependent nerves in normal uterus and tumor progression. It also explores new therapeutic possibilities for endometrial cancer using these endocrine and neural advantages.