High Testosterone and Low Progesterone Circulating Levels in Premenopausal Patients with Hyperplasia and Cancer of the Breast

Abstract Serum testosterone, progesterone, luteinizing hormone, prolactin, and sex hormone-binding globulin levels were measured in 55 normal controls, in 31 patients with hyperplastic alterations of breast epithelium, and in 23 patients with breast cancer. All patients and controls were premenopausal, and they were comparable for age, weight, and body surface. In the controls, the mean level of testosterone [0.47 ± 0.16 (S.D.) ng/ml] was lower and the mean level of progesterone (17.63 ± 8.11 ng/ml) was higher than in breast cancer patients [testosterone level, 0.62 ± 0.22 ng/ml ( p p p ≤ 0.05); progesterone level, 13.9 ± 8.6 ng/ml ( p