Characteristics of Women with a family history of ovarian cancer. II. Follicular phase hormone levels

Abstract

Background. Although there is a basis for linking pituitary or ovarian hormones with experimentally induced ovarian cancer, establishing their role in women is complicated because the usual case‐control methods cannot be applied. In this study, hormonal levels in women with a family history of ovarian cancer (FOC) and who are at higher risk for the disease are compared with women without such a history. Methods. The authors studied 106 unrelated women (FOC patients) with at least one primary or two second degree relatives with ovarian cancer compared with 116 age‐ and residence‐matched controls without a family history of ovarian cancer (FOC control subjects). All women were premenopausal, between the ages of 25 and 49 years, not currently using oral contraceptives, and had blood drawn during the early follicular phase for gonadotropins, estradiol (Ez, and CA‐125 Results. Women with a family history of ovarian cancer and control subjects did not differ significantly in follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) levels, E2, or CA‐125. Patients with a family history of ovarian cancer had significantly lower luteinizing hormone (LH) levels compared with control subjects and produced more E2 and FSH relative to their level of LH. The ratios of LH to E2 and LH to FSH were correlated with the enzymatic activity of galactose‐1‐phosphate uridyl transferase, which was shown previously to differ between FOC patients and control subjects. Conclusion. Lower LH and higher E2 are reported in women with breast, endometrial, and ovarian cancer (before surgery). The authors speculate that these observations reflect greater LH binding and estradiol production in ovaries at risk for these cancers‐the ovarian cortical hyperplasia postulated in older gynecologic literature as the precursor to estrogen dependent neoplasia.

Proliferative Lesions of Ovarian Granulosa Cells and Reversible Hormonal Changes Induced in Rats by a Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulator

“…To date, there is no correlation between the occurrence of ovarian cancer in women and increased serum gonadotropin levels. In fact, women with a personal or family history of ovarian cancer have signi cantly lower serum LH concentrations than women without such a history (3,8,17,33). Thus, the relationship between elevated circulating gonadotropin levels and an increased incidence of ovarian tumors in rodents does not appear to be true in humans.…”

Evaluation of Accuracy of Intraoperative Frozen Section and Imprint Cytology in Gynecological Neoplasms—A Descriptive Cross-Sectional Study of 50 Cases in Tertiary Care Center

“…The study done by Negri et al emphasized the role of family history in cases of cervical cancers 12 and similarly Cramer et al studied the significance of family history in ovarian cancers and correlated with follicular phase hormone levels. 13 Both the studies proved their importance as there is twice the risk of cancers in cases of positive family history. We studied such 7 cases in which 6 ovarian tumors had a positive family history.…”

Carcinogenicity and hormone studies with the tissue‐selective estrogen receptor modulator bazadoxifene

“…The correlation between high serum concentrations of gonadotropins and an increased incidence of ovarian tumors appears unique to rodents and are of no relevance to women (Alison et al, 1994; Capen et al, 1995; Davis and Maronpot, 1996). Women with a history (personal or familial) of ovarian cancer display lower levels of LH than do women with no history of ovarian cancer (Blaakaer et al, 1992; Cramer et al, 1994; Helzlsouer et al, 1995; Weiss and Hill, 1996). Furthermore, the response of the ovary to gonadotropins and steroid hormones requires it to be receptive, but there are no ovarian follicles present in postmenopausal woman.…”