| dc.description.abstract | One hundred thirty six men and women die every day from colon cancer in the United
States (2008 statistics). Estrogen has been shown to reduce colonic tumor inflammation;
however, it is unclear in the tumor development and growth process what is the most
effective time for estrogen treatment. To gain a complete understanding of estrogen?s
chemopreventative effects, more research needs to be conducted. This study will
demonstrate that when estrogen is given after colon tumors are fully initiated, the risk of
the colon tumors continued growth is reduced. Tumors were induced in ovariectomized
mice using azoxymethane (AOM). Ten weeks after tumors formed, an estrogen or
control (VEH) pellet was inserted into the mice. Ten weeks later, the tumors and the
most distal uninvolved tissues were removed. Apoptosis and proliferation assays were
completed on all tissues. Results show that estrogen decreases colon tumor formation
and area. Apoptosis and proliferation data will be presented. These data are important
and have immediate clinical significance because estrogen therapy is most commonly
used in post-menopausal women who are the highest risk of being diagnosed with colon
cancer. | en |
