The endocrine-related cancers and hormones are undoubtedly highly interconnected. How hormones support or repress tumor induction and progression has been extensively profiled. Furthermore, advances in understanding the role of glutamine metabolism in mediating tumorigenesis and development, coupled with these in-depth studies on hormone (e.g., estrogen, progesterone, androgen, prostaglandin, thyroid hormone, and insulin) regulation of glutamine metabolism, have led us to think about the relationship between these three factors, which remains to be elucidated. Accordingly, in this review, we present an updated overview of glutamine metabolism traits and its influence on endocrine oncology, as well as its upstream hormonal regulation. More importantly, this hormone/glutamine metabolism axis may help in the discovery of novel therapeutic strategies for endocrine-related cancer.
Keywords: androgen; estrogen; glutamine; hormone; insulin; progesterone; prostaglandin; thyroid hormone.