Antitumor Effects of Flutamide on Experimental Esophageal Carcinoma Induced by N-Amyl-N-Methylnitrosamine (AMN) in Rats

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It is known that the incidence of carcinoma of the esophagus in men is about four times higher than that in women, and the prognosis after resection of esophageal carcinoma is substantially better in women than it is in men. Human skin is one of the androgen target organs and the androgen binding capacity of human skin cytosol has been measured. Since the esophageal mucosa consists of squamous epithelium the same as human skin does, it was speculated that sex hormones, androgen in paticular, might play an important role in cell proliferation of the esophageal mucosa and in carcinogenesis. We have been investigating the possible effects of sex hormones on the carcinogenesis of esophageal carcinoma in rats that were given N-Amyl-N-methylnitrosamine (AMN) in drinking water. In the present study, the incidence of carcinoma in intact and castrated rats administered AMN with flutamide was sign ificantly lower than that of intact rats administered AMN alone, and the incidence of esophageal carcinoma in intact and castrated rats that were given flutamide after administration of AMN was a little lower than that of intact rats were not given flutamide after administration of AMN. From this investigation, we speculate that flutamide may have antitumor effects on experimental esophageal carcinoma induced by AMN in rats.