ABSTRACT
There is increasing evidence that dopamine (DA) is involved in both benign and malignant tumorigenesis along the pituitary-gonadal axis and accessory reproductive organs in both sexes. Within the pituitary, DA and D2R are closely associated with the development and progression of prolactinomas. Several D2R antagonists are widely employed in the treatment of prolactinomas as well as several other types of pituitary adenomas. DA receptors (DARs) are expressed in almost all female reproductive organs. A special case is made for the overexpression and action of D1R in a significant number of aggressive breast cancers and the potential for using this receptor and its agonists for both diagnosis and treatment of this disease. There is also good evidence for expression of various DARs in ovarian, endometrial and cervical cancers and the involvement of DA, primarily via the regulation of angiogenesis, in tumorigenesis in these organs. In males, some antidopaminergic drugs have shown promise in treating prostate cancer, while there is only scant information on the involvement of DA in testicular cancer.
