J. Blaakaer et al., HORMONAL FACTORS AND PROGNOSIS IN EPITHELIAL OVARIAN-CANCER - A MULTIVARIATE-ANALYSIS, European journal of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive biology, 51(1), 1993, pp. 21-27
When a significantly lower follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) level wa
s found in patients with epithelial ovarian carcinoma, it was decided
to analyze the influence of hormonal factors on prognosis. Thirteen fa
ctors were tested for prognostic significance in 35 women with epithel
ial ovarian carcinoma. Age, FIGO-stage, histopathological grade, resid
ual tumor, treatment, gonadotrophins and steroid hormones were tested.
By univariate log-rank testing a significantly shorter survival time
was found for patients with ascending FIGO-stage, residual tumor mass,
estradiol <0.10 nmol/l,progesterone <2.0 nmol/l and DHEAS <1300 nmol/
l. In the Cox model the independently significant prognostic factors f
ound were residual tumor mass (P<0.001) with a risk estimate of 2.65,
progesterone (P<0.05) with a risk estimate of 0.29 for a progesterone
level >2.0 nmol/l and total testosterone (P<0.03) with a risk estimate
of 0.29 for a total testosterone level >1.15 nmol/l. The present find
ings, together with the assumption that an elevated gonadotrophin leve
l may induce ovarian tumor growth (the gonadotrophin theory), earlier
findings of estrogen and progesterone receptors in human ovarian cance
r, and the in vitro demonstration of gonadotrophin-growth-stimulation
of human malignant epithelial tumors, justify a thorough investigation
of the interaction between steroid hormones and receptors, gonadotrop
hins, tumor bulk and survival in future research protocols.