title: Circulating prolactin and tumoral prolactin receptors in men with tongue cancer: a preliminary study.
abstract: Pre-therapeutic circulating prolactin levels and tumoral prolactin receptors (PRLR) were determined in 25 male patients with tongue cancer. The patients were divided into PRLR positive (PRLR+) and PRLR negative (PRLR-) groups. The overall survival was statistically non-significant between these two groups of PRLR as well as when considering 2% as the cut-off level. Moreover, no correlation was observed between PRLR status and clinicopathologic prognosticators. Furthermore, patients with < 2% PRLR had significantly higher levels of circulating prolactin than their counterparts (P < 0.05). Patients with PRLR- tumors having hyperprolactinemia (prolactin > 15.0 ng/ml) had unfavourable overall survival (chi 2 = 4.08, df = 1, P < 0.04) than those with normoprolactin (prolactin < 15.0 ng/ml). From this pilot study, it seems that PRLR negativity with hyperprolactinemia could be used as an independent predictor of short-term prognosis in cancer tongue patients.
authors.affiliation: Gujarat Cancer & Research Institute, Ahmedabad, India.
authors.forename: D D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Bhatavdekar
authors.forename: H H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Vora
authors.forename: D B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Balar
mesh_terms: D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D011388:Prolactin / Q000097:blood*; D011981:Receptors, Prolactin / Q000378:metabolism*; D016019:Survival Analysis; D014062:Tongue Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality
chemical_list: D011981:Receptors, Prolactin; D011388:Prolactin