DHEA-S levels and cardiovascular disease mortality in postmenopausal women: results from the National Institutes of Health--National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)-sponsored Women's Ischemia Syndrome Evaluation (WISE).

Context: Dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S), a major circulating sex steroid prohormone, declines with age. Low levels have been associated with increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk and all-cause mortality, although these results have not been consistently replicated, particularly in women.

Objective: Our objective was to examine the association of circulating DHEA-S levels, CVD, and mortality risk among postmenopausal women with suspected myocardial ischemia.

Comprehensive evaluation of ESR2 variation and ovarian cancer risk.

Studies indicate that estrogen receptor beta, encoded by the ESR2 gene on chromosome 14q, may play a role in ovarian carcinogenesis. Using the genetic structure data generated by the Breast and Prostate Cohort Consortium (BPC3), we have comprehensively characterized the role of haplotype diversity in ESR2 and risk of ovarian cancer. Five haplotypes with a frequency of > or =5% were observed in White subjects and five haplotype tagging SNPs (htSNP) were selected to capture the locus diversity with a minimum R(h)(2) of 0.

Haplotypes of the estrogen receptor beta gene and breast cancer risk.

Exposure to exogenous (oral contraceptives, postmenopausal hormone therapy) and endogenous (number of ovulatory cycles, adiposity) steroid hormones is associated with breast cancer risk. Breast cancer risk associated with these exposures could hypothetically be modified by genes in the steroid hormone synthesis, metabolism and signaling pathways. Estrogen receptors are the first step along the path of signaling cell growth and development upon stimulation with estrogens.

Sequence variants of estrogen receptor beta and risk of prostate cancer in the National Cancer Institute Breast and Prostate Cancer Cohort Consortium.

Background: Estrogen receptor beta (ESR2) may play a role in modulating prostate carcinogenesis through the regulation of genes related to cell proliferation and apoptosis.

Methods: We conducted nested case-control studies in the Breast and Prostate Cancer Cohort Consortium (BPC3) that pooled 8,323 prostate cancer cases and 9,412 controls from seven cohorts. Whites were the predominant ethnic group.