Increase of hypophyseal hormone levels in male head and neck cancer patients.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) develops in at least 80% of cases in men with a history of smoking and heavy alcohol consumption, still it is only diagnosed in a small proportion of alcoholics. Endocrine milieu is an important factor in carcinogenesis and prognosis of several cancer types. The aim of our study was to investigate sex steroid and hypophyseal hormone status of male HNSCC patients in comparison to healthy volunteers and to patients with alcoholic liver disease, to determine possible hormonal alterations characteristic of cancer. Liver function (GGT level), and serum levels of gonadotropic hormones (FSH, LH, prolactin), sex steroids (estradiol, progesterone, testosterone) and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) were compared in 130 male HNSCC patients, 54 patients with alcoholic liver disease but no known cancer, and 56 healthy controls. We found abnormal values of liver function in both HNSCC patients and alcoholics compared to healthy controls, suggesting the presence of alcoholic liver disease in the former group as well. On the other hand, a significant elevation in the level of DHEA, FSH and LH was observed in cancer patients exclusively. As a conclusion, abnormal alterations in sex steroid hormone levels can frequently be found in HNSCC patients, which may be caused in part by the alcoholic liver damage accompanying the disease. The significant increase in FSH and LH serum levels, observed only in the cancer patients, indicates that these hormones may play a role in the development and/or progression of HNSCC.

[Expression of oestrogen receptor-beta in invasive breast tumours]. / Az ösztrogénreceptor-béta expressziója invazív emlôtumorokban.

UNLABELLED: Steroid hormone receptors are used routinely to predict endocrine responsiveness in patients with breast cancer. Two oestrogen receptors (ERs): ER alpha and ER beta have been identified. Although ER alpha and ER beta genes share a large degree of homology, it is generally thought that their distribution and function are substantially different in many tissues. Both of them may be expressed in normal and neoplastic tissues of the breast. While much is known about ER alpha, the role of ER beta is still undefined, especially at the protein level. Recent development of reliable antibodies to ER beta has provided opportunity to test immunohistochemical reactions detecting ER beta in archival breast tumours. The aim of our study was to learn more about the cellular mechanisms underlying the relationship of ER beta and progesterone receptor (PR) in breast cancer tissues, discriminating between hormone-dependent and hormone-independent tumours. ER alpha and PR content of tumour tissues of 154 patients with breast cancer were tested by in situ indirect immunohistochemical method parallel with ligand binding biochemical assay. ER beta was detected in 8 ER alpha-/PR+ breast carcinomas by immunohistochemical method too. Steroid hormone receptor content was analysed comparing to the histologic type and grading of the tumours. CONCLUSIONS: A considerable part of breast carcinomas belongs to the ER+/PR+ and ER-/PR- groups. About 1-2% of the tumours is expected to be ER alpha-/ER beta+/PR+ type. In such cases ER alpha negative reaction together with PR positivity can signal the necessity of the immunohistochemical detection of ER beta in routine histopathological practice, presenting the precise steroid hormone receptor status for the most effective endocrine therapy of the patients.

[Prognostic significance of sex steroid and hypophyseal hormones in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma]. / Szex szteroid- és hypophysishormonszintek prognosztikus jelentôsége fej-nyaki laphámrákban.

OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY: to investigate the clinical outcome of HNSCC patients, and their hormonal status. METHOD: The liver function (GGT), hypophysis gonadotrop hormone (FSH, LH, prolactin) and sexsteroid hormone serum levels were examined in 130 male HNSCC patients. Clinical parameters for age, primary tumor site and clinical tumor stage were also recorded. RESULTS: The survival was disadvantageously influenced by the following parameters: age, the presence of lymph node metastasis, advanced tumor stage, the lower than normal testosterone and the higher than normal FSH serum levels. CONCLUSION: Elevated FSH and decreased testosterone serum levels showed significant correlation with the survival of head and neck cancer patients. The better understanding of their exact role in the biology of HNSCC requires further investigations.

[Serum levels of sex steroid and pituitary hormones in chronic alcoholics and head and neck cancer patients as compared to normal controls]. / Szex szteroid- és hypophysishormonok valamint a májfunkció összehasonlító vizsgálata egészséges, alkoholista és fej-nyaki laphámrákos férfiakban.

UNLABELLED: Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is diagnosed mainly in male patients (more than 80% of the cases) with a history of smoking and heavy alcohol consumption. However, only a few percent of all alcoholics develop head and neck cancer. OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY: to investigate the hormonal status in HNSCC patients as compared to healthy controls and alcoholic persons in order to find changes, if any, characteristic for cancer. METHOD: The liver function expressed by gamma-GT levels, the hypophysis gonadotrop hormone (FSH, LH, prolactin) and sex steroid hormone serum levels were examined in 130 male HNSCC patients, in 54 men with alcoholic liver disease but without any known cancer and in 56 healthy men as controls. RESULTS: When compared to the healthy controls, both alcoholics and tumor patients had abnormal liver function, testosterone, sex hormone binding globuline and prolactin levels, reflecting the presence of alcoholic liver disease in tumor patients as well. However, abnormally elevated circulating FSH (p<0.005) and LH (p<0.0003) levels were present only in the tumor patients. CONCLUSION: Sex steroid hormone abnormalities are common among head and neck cancer patients, mainly as results of the chronic alcoholic liver disease. Elevation of FSH and LH levels suggests a potential role of these hormones in the formation of head and neck cancer. The exact role of the hypothalamus-hypophysis-liver axis in the biology of head and neck cancer requires further investigations.

[Tumour markers in human breast cyst fluid in gross cystic breast disease (GCBD)] / Emlôciszta-folyadék markereinek vizsgálata nagycisztás mastopathiában (GCBD).

AIM: Parallel measurements of tumour markers in the serum and breast cyst fluid in a high risk group (GCBD) of breast cancer. The identification of individuals belonging to this group and their follow-up. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In the breast cyst fluid of 108 patients with GCBD (mean age 47 years) we measured the levels of CA 15-3, TPA, CEA and beta HCG completed by PCT determinations. Simultaneously, the serum CA 15-3 and TPA concentrations were also measured using the Luminescent Immunoassay techniques. RESULTS: Strikingly high TPA values were found in 98% of the patients. The CA 15-3 levels, however, were pathological only in 24%of them. The CEA and beta HCG levels showed hardly any rise and the PCT concentration remained normal. CONCLUSIONS: The lack of any rise in PCT concentration precludes the inflammatory origin of the cystic fluid and the normal serum arker levels exclude ultrafiltration. The increased TPA concentration in the breast cystic fluid and the occurrence of pathological CA 15-3 level in the above percentage of the cases suggest that GCBD represents not only a high risk group but possibly a precancerous state, too.