Serum progesterone levels in patients with gastric and colorectal cancers.
BACKGROUND
It is known that various malignant tissues possess progesterone receptors. It has been reported that the serum progesterone levels increase and show a prognostic significance in gastric carcinoma. We carried out a study to determine the serum progesterone level in gastric cancer, and colorectal cancer.


METHODS
140 of our patients were male and 56 female. We determined serum progesterone level in patients with gastric cancer, and colorectal cancer. Patients with benign diseases participated in the study as control group.


RESULTS
In male patients with gastric cancer (n = 90) and colorectal cancer (n = 50) the serum progesterone level was not significantly higher than in the control group (n = 80) (mean: 1.08 +/- 0.73, 1.08 +/- 0.32 and 1.01 +/- 0.38 ng/ml, respectively). Among the female patients with gastric cancer (n = 26) and colorectal cancer (n = 30), the serum progesterone level was also not significantly higher than in the control group (n = 30) (mean: 1.19 +/- 0.77, 1.21 +/- 0.72 and 1.12 +/- 0.61 respectively). In males, the sensitivity of progesterone for gastric cancer was 55.5% and 64% for colorectal cancer with a specificity of 37.5%. In females, the sensitivity of progesterone for gastric cancer was 54% and 57% for colorectal patients with a specificity of 40%.


CONCLUSIONS
Serum progesterone level does not correlate with the presence or absence of gastric cancer or colorectal cancer, and it is not a useful tumour marker.
Kuru
B
B
Department of General Surgery, Ankara Oncology Education and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey. bkuru@ato.org.tr
Ozaslan
C
C
Yalman
K
K
Camlýbel
M
M
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011374:Progesterone / Q000097:blood*; D011379:Prognosis; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology
D011374:Progesterone