Jf. Abrahamsen et al., CIRCADIAN VARIATION IN SERUM CORTISOL AND CIRCULATING NEUTROPHILS AREMARKERS FOR CIRCADIAN VARIATION OF BONE-MARROW PROLIFERATION IN CANCER-PATIENTS, European journal of haematology, 50(4), 1993, pp. 206-212
Serum cortisol, circulating white blood cells and DNA cell cycle distr
ibution in bone marrow cells were measured during daytime (11.00) and
at midnight (24.00) over single 24-hour periods in 15 cancer patients.
The neutrophils and fraction of bone marrow cells in S-phase showed t
he same circadian variation as cortisol with higher values in daytime
as compared to midnight in 11 patients with a normal cortisol rhythm (
p < 0.05). The lymphocytes, eosinophils and basophils all had signific
antly higher values at midnight as compared to daytime. There were sig
nificant correlations between cortisol and neutrophils, lymphocytes, e
osinophils and basophils. The correlation between neutrophils and frac
tions of bone marrow cells in S-phase and S + G2/M-phase were highly s
ignificant (r = 0.74, p = 0.0001 and r = 0.72, p = 0.0001, respectivel
y). In 8 of 13 patients (61.5%) without bone marrow infiltration both
cortisol and neutrophils showed identical circadian variation as bone
marrow cells in S-phase and S + G2/M-phase. Furthermore, for the total
series a significant correlation between S-phase, cortisol and neutro
phils was found by multiple regression analysis (p < 0.0001). These fi
ndings strengthen the possibility of using the circadian variation in
cortisol and neutrophils as marker rhythms for circadian variation in
bone marrow proliferation, thus allowing optimization of cytotoxic the
rapy and individualization of chronotherapy.