Inappropriate luteinizing hormone concentration in human breast cancer.
As part of a programme to assess the para-endocrine behaviour of human infiltrating ductal breast carcinoma among Chinese women, this study was designed to compare (Mann-Whitney U test) the immunoreactive mammary tumour tissue concentrations of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), human chorionic gonadotrophin (beta-hCG) and prolaction (PRL) at stages I (n = 9), II (n = 12) and III (n = 7) with that of normal breast tissue (n = 8). It was found that with the exception of FSH and beta-hCG in stages I and III significantly elevated concentrations of protein hormones were noted at all stages of malignancy. The possible importance of these findings in multi-stage mammary carcinogenesis is discussed. It is suggested that measurement of LH concentration may provide an endocrine basis to facilitate the diagnosis of tumours to serve as a guide to the biological behaviour of mammary neoplasms.
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001940:Breast / Q000378:metabolism; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism*; D002285:Carcinoma, Intraductal, Noninfiltrating / Q000378:metabolism*; D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin / Q000096:biosynthesis; D005260:Female; D005640:Follicle Stimulating Hormone / Q000096:biosynthesis; D006729:Hormones, Ectopic / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D006801:Humans; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011388:Prolactin / Q000096:biosynthesis
D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin; D006729:Hormones, Ectopic; D011388:Prolactin; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone; D005640:Follicle Stimulating Hormone