Paradoxical Hypersecretion of Growth Hormone in Patients with Endometrial Atypical Hyperplasia and Carcinoma

Abstract

Paradoxical hypersecretion of human growth hormone (HGH) followed a glucose load in patients with endometrial cancer and atypical hyperplasia of the endometrium. All patients had normal fasting plasma glucose and serum HGH concentrations with a normal glucose tolerance curve. Their urinary estrogen concentrations were within the normal postmenopausal range. 6 months after abdominal total hysterectomy and bilateral oophorectomy, the glucose load was repeated. Following surgery all patients showed a normal suppression of HGH secretion during the hyperglycemic period. These findings suggest the existence of a HGH-releasing factor in the neoplastic and preneoplastic endometrial tissue. This factor might be related to the abnormal HGH responses observed.

The oncogenic potential of growth hormone

“…In addition, the presence of the hGH and the hGHR has been observed in breast [13,14,65] and prostate [66] cancer. Historically, sporadic cases of ectopic hGH secretion associated with malignancy have been noted in the literature, including lung [67][68][69][70], stomach [70], breast and ovarian cancer [71], endometrial carcinoma [72] and carcinoma of the bronchus [73].…”

Plasma and Pituitary Gonadotropins and Prolactin after Hysterectomy and Treatment with Uterine Extracts in Female Rats

“…Many observations are suggesting that the hypothalamo-pituitary regulation and the function of the pituitary-gonad axis are pathological in atypical hyperplasia or carcinoma of the uterus (Ayalon et al, 1982;Benjamin, 1973;Benjamin and Deutcli, 1976), and hysterectomy can lead to normalization of the function of the endocrine organs (Ayalon et al,198 These data, corresponding to ours, are strongly indicating that the uterus may play some role in the regulation of synthesis and release of pituitary gonadotropin and prolactin and by this way influences its own hormonal regulation.…”

Autocrine human GH promotes radioresistance in mammary and endometrial carcinoma cells

“…In mammary carcinoma, hGH expression is positively correlated with lymph node metastasis, tumour stage, HER-2 status and proliferative index (Wu et al 2011). Increased hGH expression has also been implicated in the pathogenesis of endometriosis and endometrial adenocarcinoma (Ayalon et al 1982, Slater et al 2006, Yurkovetsky et al 2007, Pandey et al 2008, Wu et al 2011 and in endometrial carcinoma is associated with increased FIGO grade, myometrial invasion and ovarian metastases (Wu et al 2011).…”