Hormone replacement therapy with selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) promises the highly desirable benefits of estrogen and progesterone replacement therapy, while avoiding their associated risks of breast and uterine cancer, gallbladder disease, and weight gain. In Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators: Research and Clinical Applications, leading experimental and clinical researchers from a wide range of disciplines present a wealth of fresh scientific information on the biochemistry, molecular biology, pharmacology, and clinical activity of SERMs. The basic science chapters of the book focus-with an eye to the development of the ideal SERM-on the complex mechanisms of estrogen action, including ligand-dependent conformational changes in alpha and beta, and the recruitment of coactivators and corepressors which modulate the estrogen receptor transcriptional activity and contribute to its crosstalk with growth factor signaling. The clinical presentations review the data accumulated on currently available SERMs, primarily tamoxifen and raloxifene, in cancer treatment and prevention, as well as their effects on the reproductive, vascular, skeletal, and central nervous systems. A novel approach to menopause-related health issues is also provided for women with and without a previous diagnosis of localized breast cancer.
Multidisciplinary and state-of-the-art, Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators: Research and Clinical Applications provides experimentalists and clinicians alike a comprehensive overview of the basic mechanisms of estrogen and SERMs action, as well as evidence-based guidelines for their clinical use in postmenopausal women.