title: Urinary melatonin-sulfate/cortisol ratio and the presence of prostate cancer: A case-control study.
abstract: The circadian-related hormones, melatonin and cortisol, have oncostatic and immunosuppressive properties. This study examined the relationship between these two biomarkers and the presence of prostate cancer. We measured their major metabolites in urine collected from 120 newly diagnosed prostate cancer patients and 240 age-matched controls from January 2011 to April 2014. Compared with patients with lower urinary melatonin-sulfate or melatonin-sulfate/cortisol (MT/C) ratio levels, those with above-median levels were significantly less likely to have prostate cancer (adjusted OR (aOR) = 0.59, 95% CI = 0.35-0.99; aOR = 0.46, 95% CI: 0.27-0.77) or advanced stage prostate cancer (aOR = 0.49, 95% CI = 0.26-0.89; aOR = 0.33, 95% CI = 0.17-0.62). The combined effect of both low MT/C ratios and PSA levels exceeding 10 ng/ml was an 8.82-fold greater likelihood of prostate cancer and a 32.06-fold greater likelihood of advanced stage prostate cancer, compared to those with both high MT/C ratios and PSA levels less than 10 ng/ml. In conclusion, patients with high melatonin-sulfate levels or a high MT/C ratio were less likely to have prostate cancer or advanced stage prostate. Besides, a finding of a low MT/C ratio combined with a PSA level exceeding 10 ng/ml showed the greatest potential in detecting prostate cancer and advanced stage prostate cancer.
authors.affiliation: Graduate Institute of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.|Department of Family Medicine, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.|Department of Family Medicine, Kaohsiung Municipal Ta-Tung Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.|Department of Family Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.|Research Center for Environmental Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Shu-Yu
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Tai
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.|Department of Urology, Faculty of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.|Institute of Biomedical Science, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Shu-Pin
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.|Sex Hormone Research Center, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan.|Department of Nursing, Asia University, Taichung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Bo-Ying
authors.initials: BY
authors.lastname: Bao
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.|Research Center for Environmental Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.|Department of Public Health, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.|Center of Environmental and Occupational Medicine, Kaohsiung Municipal Hsiao-Kang Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Ming-Tsang
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000652:urine; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000652:urine*; D008297:Male; D008550:Melatonin / Q000652:urine*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen / Q000652:urine; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000652:urine; D012307:Risk Factors; D013431:Sulfates / Q000652:urine*
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D013431:Sulfates; C020611:cortisol 21-sulfate; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen; D008550:Melatonin; D006854:Hydrocortisone