17-β-estradiol levels in patients with small cell carcinoma of the lung☆

Abstract Human SCCL cell lines produce 17-β-estradiol (E 2 ) in all cases that we have studied. In order to determine whether this phenomenon has a clinical counterpart, we analyzed sera from 25 consecutive patients with newly diagnosed, untreated SCCL for E 2 . We found serum E 2 concentrations in all patients to be within the normal range. This discrepancy between cell culture and patient-derived data emphasizes yet another dichotomy between in vivo and in vitro observations.