Growth-Hormone Secretion in Patients with Endometrial Carcinoma

Abstract

Mean growth-hormone (HGH) concentrations during six-hour oral glucose tolerance tests were significantly higher in patients with endometrial carcinoma at one, two and three hours than in appropriately matched control subjects (p less than 0.01, less than 0.05 and less than 0.01 respectively). A paradoxical rise in HGH concentration followed the glucose load. The reasons for this abnormal HGH response remain to be determined. However, the present findings lend support to the hypothesis of an underlying hypothalamic-pituitary disorder in cases of endometrial carcinoma, or the possibility of "ectopic" hormone production by the tumor itself.