Anti-estrogen and immune modulator combinations for treating breast cancer

A pharmaceutical composition for treating a cancer of mucosal origin comprising:

• an immune inhibitor of steroid hormone reversible cancer cell growth or an immune inhibitor mimicking compound;
• and at least one at least one component chosen from the group consisting of:
• an anti-estrogen compound,
• an aromatase inhibitor,
• an agent that enhances immunoglobulin production, and
• a hormone,
• together with a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.

A method of screening a compound for anti-estrogenic activity comprising:

• culturing a predetermined population of estrogen responsive cancer cells in a nutrient medium comprising a quantity of immunoglobulin inhibitor or immunoglobulin inhibitor mimicking compound sufficient to inhibit cell growth in the absence of an inhibition-reversing amount of estrogen;
• adding a defined amount of the substance of interest to the cell culture medium;
• adding a defined amount of estrogen to said cell culture medium, said amount being sufficient to stimulate cell growth in the presence of said inhibitor or inhibitor mimicking agent under the same cell culture conditions but in the absence of said substance of interest, to provide a test culture;
• incubating said test culture for a predetermined period of time under growth promoting conditions;
• testing said substance of interest for cytotoxic effects on said cells;
• determining the cell population of the test culture after said predetermined period of time, wherein a lack of increase in the cell population, not attributable to cytotoxic effects of said substance of interest, indicates an anti-estrogenic effect by said substance of interest.