Several endogenous
hormones have been proven to stimulate
cancer growth, whereas at present very few
hormones are known to display oncostatic activity. The most widely investigated antitumor
hormone is the pineal
indole melatonin (MLT), and
cancer progression has been shown to be associated with a decline in MLT secretion. Recently, another
hormone, the adrenal
steroid dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHEAS), has appeared to exert antitumor effects similar to those previously described for MLT. In addition, experimental studies suggest a diminished DHEAS production with neoplastic progression. This preliminary study was performed to evaluate the daily secretion of DHEAS in a group of early and advanced
cancer patients. The study included 70 patients with solid
tumors (gastrointestinal tract
tumors: 28;
breast cancer: 24;
non-small cell lung cancer: 18), 28 without and 42 with distant
metastases. The serum levels of DHEAS were measured by RIA in blood samples collected in the morning. The control group consisted of 100 age- and sex-matched healthy subjects. No significant difference in mean serum levels of DHEAS was observed between controls and non-metastatic patients. In contrast, metastatic patients, irrespectively of
tumor histotype, showed significantly lower mean levels of DHEAS with respect to either controls or non-metastatic patients. Moreover, metastatic patients with visceral locations showed significantly lower values of DHEAS than those with bone or soft-tissue
metastases. This preliminary study would suggest there to be a deficiency in the daily
DHEA secretion in patients with disseminated
cancer. Further studies evaluating circadian DHEAS secretion in relation in that of the pineal
hormone MLT will be required to better define the
biological significance of the advanced
cancer-related decline in endogenous DHEAS production.