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Serum dehydroepiandrosterone and DHEA‐sulfate in patients with adult T‐cell leukemia and human T‐lymphotropic virus type I carriers
Author(s) -
Uozumi Kimiharu,
Uematsu Toshiaki,
Otsuka Maki,
Nakano Satoko,
Takatsuka Yoshifusa,
Iwahashi Masahito,
Hanada Shuichi,
Arima Terukatsu
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
american journal of hematology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.456
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1096-8652
pISSN - 0361-8609
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1096-8652(199611)53:3<165::aid-ajh3>3.0.co;2-x
Subject(s) - dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate , medicine , t cell leukemia , dehydroepiandrosterone , radioimmunoassay , adult t cell leukemia/lymphoma , endocrinology , leukemia , lymphoma , clinical significance , human t lymphotropic virus 1 , chemotherapy , immunology , androgen , gastroenterology , hormone
The serum levels of dehydroeplandrosterone (DHEA) and DHEA‐sulfate (DHEA‐S) were determined by radioimmunoassay in 38 patients with adult T‐cell leukemia (ATL). Levels of serum DHEA and DHEA‐S were also measured in 60 human T‐lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV‐I) carriers, and did not differ from those in 60 healthy control subjects. Serum levels in patients with ATL were lower than those in the age‐ and sex‐matched healthy controls and in HTLV‐I carriers with statistical significance. Serum DHEA and DHEA‐S in male patients with acute and lymphoma‐type ATL were 1.06 ± 0.77 ng/ml and 245.8 ± 192.9 ng/ml, respectively. Levels in male patients with chronic and smoldering‐type ATL were 1.69 ± 0.68 ng/ml and 477.6 ± 251.5 ng/ml, respectively. Serum levels of DHEA and DHEA‐S in patients with acute and lymphoma‐type ATL were significantly lower than those in patients with chronic and smoldering‐type ATL (P < 0.05). These data suggest that a decrease in serum levels of DHEA and DHEA‐S may be associated with patients who have some clinical subtypes of ATL. Moreover, androgens may have a therapeutic role in patients with ATL, as administered in patients with hairy‐cell leukemia. Because there is at present no curative chemotherapy for ATL, a trial combination of androgens and standard chemotherapy may be a reasonable therapeutic option in such patients. © 1996 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.