Expression of gastrin-releasing peptide receptors in endometrial cancer.

Background: The Bombesin (BBS)-related peptide, gastrin-releasing peptide, and its cognate receptor are ectopically expressed by many cancers, in which they regulate tumor proliferation and metastasis. But, their role in endometrial cancers is unknown. The purpose of this study was to determine whether endometrial cancer cell lines express functional BBS receptors and to determine whether they were coupled to the regulation of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF-A) expression.