Hormonal evaluation in patients with osteosarcoma.

Aspects of growth regulation were studied in patients with osteosarcoma to ascertain if hormonal imbalance is associated with this disease. Thirty-nine evaluated patients were of normal height for their ages. During the oral glucose tolerance test, carbohydrate intolerance was demonstrated in seven of 18 patients, while growth hormone was slightly elevated in four of 17 patients. Serum somatomedin activity (SMA) was elevated in seven of nine patients. In one untreated patient in whom SMA was measured across the tumor bed, significant gradient of SMA was found; gel filtration of the sera at pH 2.4 revealed a typical SMA profile in the arterial serum and an additional high SMA peak in the venous serum. Among needle biopsy specimens incubated for 48 hours, SMA was released by the histologically viable tumors but not by the nonviable specimens. The data suggest that young patients with osteosarcoma have elevated SMA.