Evaluation of Plasma Hormone Concentrations in Relation to Clinical Staging in Patients with Prostatic Cancer:BRITISH PROSTATE STUDY GROUP*

Abstract

Summary— Plasma concentrations of testosterone, oestradiol‐1 7β, luteinising hormone (LH), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), prolactin and growth hormone (GH) were measured in patients with histologically proven prostatic cancer, before any form of therapy was given for this disease. Patients were categorised according to UICC classification. No systematic change in the group means of any of these hormones was associated with the progression of the disease from the TO to the T4 stage. When multivariate analysis was applied to the combined intraprostatic (TO + T1 + T2) and extraprostatic (T3 + T4) tumour category in patients without clinically evident metastases (MO) a discrimination was observed, GH substantially contributing to the separation of the 2 groups. When plasma hormone data from patients classified as MO (without metastases) were compared with M1 patients (with metastases), mean GH values were significantly larger (P<0.02) in patients with metastases. GH was also a major contributory factor to the discrimination between the MO and M1 groups, using multivariate analysis. Testosterone group means for MO versus M1 were also significantly different (P<0.02).

Prevalence, incidence, and risk of cancers in patients with acromegaly: review

“…In the same year The British Prostate Study Group compared plasma concentrations of GH and other hormones among patients categorised according to UICC TNM classification. The GH values were observed to be significantly higher in M1 (metastases) group -mean 4.0 mU/l -compared with M0 (no metastases) group -mean 2.6 mU/l [23]. Approach of Mantzoros et al was to study the effects of rising IGF-1 concentrations on BPH and PCa risk.…”