| 摘要 |
The present invention is directed to a method of treating estrogen responsiv e breast cancer in an individual comprising administering to an individual a therapeutically effective estradiol inhibiting amount of interferon gamma (I FN- .gamma.) and/or a tumor necrosis factor (TNF) antagonist and/or an interleuk in- 1 (IL-1) antagonists. The invention is based upon the surprising discovery that IFN-.gamma. and/or a tumor necrosis factor (TNF) antagonist and/or an interleukin-1 (IL-1) antagonists inhibit estradiol production in human adipocytes. This discovery is not only important because it allows for the treatment and/or prevention of estrogen dependent breast cancer using IFN- .gamma., TNF antagonists or IL-1 antagonist each alone or in combination, bu t also because IFN-.gamma. and/or TNF antagonists and/or IL-1 antagonists can be used in conjunction with standard anti-estrogen therapy, e.g., tamoxifen and/or aromatase inhibitor, to result in lower estrogen levels than seen wit h standard anti-estrogen therapy alone. Moreover, the ability to lower estroge n levels by means of the present invention, when combined with standard anti- estrogen therapy, provides an important therapeutic option in that it allows the dose of the anti-estrogen to be reduced, reducing the likelihood of side effects and complications commonly seen with anti-estrogen therapy.
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