Prolactin - Not Only a "Milk Hormone" Prolactin - Growth Hormone Relationships with Emphasis on Cancer.

Prolactin (PRL) is a hormone secreted by lactotrophic cells in the anterior pituitary gland and its main function is the stimulation of lactogenesis. Research in recent years has revealed that PRL is also related to cancer development and plays a role in autoimmune diseases. PRL and Growth Hormone (GH) belong to the same cytokine family, both are, at least in part, secreted by the same somatomammotrophic cells in the anterior pituitary, and share similar signaling pathways. These common features raise the question whether PRL and GH share also joint actions especially in the pathogenesis of cancer.