estrogens may play a role, not only in classical endocrine-related tumors, such as breast or prostate, but also in several other human nosological entities, including neurodegenerative disorders, cardiovascular and immune-related diseases. this volume focuses on topics ranging from the impact of endogenous and exogenous estrogens on human development and cancer risk, to novel aspects in mechanisms of estrogen action, to estrogen implication in human malignancies (breast, prostate, liver), to the emerging role of estrogen in neurodegenerative disorders (alzheimer ` s disease, multiple sclerosis, parkinson ` s disease), to estrogen action in the cardiovascular system (including both genomic and nongenomic), to estrogen effects on cells of the immune system and their relevance to immune response and autoimmune diseases. the resulting inferences for clinics, diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment are also presented and extensively discussed. note: annals volumes are available for sale as individual books or as a journal.