Serum FSH, LH, prolactin and plasma estradiol, progesterone, testosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) were estimated by RIA method in male patients with tongue cancer (N=110) and in healthy age-matched male controls (N=25). In this retrospective study, there was a trend towards higher levels of FSH (P<0.01), LH (P<0.01), prolactin (P<0.001), estradiol (P<0.0001), progesterone (P<0.0001) and DHEA (P<0.01) with concomitant lower levels of testosterone (P<0.001) and DHEA-S (P<0.02) in patients with tongue cancer compared to controls. We did not find significant difference in hormone levels when grouped according to the site of the tumor and stage of the disease. Patients below 40 years of age had significantly higher levels of DHEA and DHEA-S and lower levels of FSH than their counterparts. We observed a decreased ratio of testosterone: estradiol and increased levels of FSH, LH and prolactin in tongue cancer patients. These hormonal abnormalities clearly suggest a disturbance in the pituitary-adrenal-testicular axis. Based on our previous work and from these results, we suggest that prolactin might be playing an important role in the development and progression of tongue cancer.

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