Plasma androstenedione and oestrone levels before and after the menopause. II. Non-endocrine ovarian tumours and cysts.

Plasma androstenedione (A) and oestrone (E1) levels were measured by radioimmunoassay in 45 hospitalized patients who had non-endocrine benign or malignant ovarian tumours or cysts. The findings of these measurements were compared with the findings of the mean steroid levels which we determined previously (see previous article) in 135 healthy women, around the menopause, of similar weight. Of the total number of patients, 26 had non-endocrine benign ovarian tumours and cysts and were in the reproductive and pre-menopausal ages. The mean plasma A level was found to be significantly higher than the normal value (P less than 0.001). However, the plasma E1 level was not different from the norm. The remaining 19 patients, all around the menopause, had non-endocrine malignant epithelial ovarian tumours. The mean plasma levels of both A and E1 were found to be significantly higher (P less than 0.001) than the normal values. Since increased plasma A levels are associated with non-endocrine ovarian tumours and cysts, it seems likely that the measurement of plasma A may be used as an endocrine detector of non-endocrine ovarian tumours.