• Jun Zhou, Yiding Chen, Yiting Huang, Jinpei Long, Fang Wan, and Suzhan Zhang.
• Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Intervention, China National Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Medical Sciences of Zhejiang, Cancer Institute of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310009, P.R. China ; Department of Surgery, The Women's Hospital of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310006, P.R. China.
• Oncol Lett. 2013 Oct 1; 6 (4): 1128-1132.

AbstractThe present study aimed to determine the association between levels of the gender hormones, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), progesterone (P) and prolactin (PRL), and two breast cancer molecular markers, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (Her-2) and Ki67, in post-menopausal patients with breast cancer. A retrospective study of the serum hormone levels of FSH, LH, P and PRL and the expression status of Her-2 and Ki67 was performed using 187 post-menopausal females with breast cancer. Her-2+ breast cancer patients exhibited higher serum FSH levels compared with Her-2- patients (69.47±3.219 vs. 58.56±1.516 IU/l). The patients with high Ki67 expression [immunohistochemistry (IHC), 3+] displayed higher FSH (72.51±4.616 vs. 60.53±1.476 IU/l) and LH (32.33±1.916 vs. 26.98±0.8852 IU/l) levels than those with lower Ki67 expression. No correlation was identified between the FSH, LH, P and PRL hormone levels, tumor stages and lymphovascular invasion (LVI). In conclusion, a higher serum FSH level was identified in Her-2+ post-menopausal patients with breast cancer. Higher serum FSH and LH levels were also observed in breast cancer patients with high Ki67 expression. FSH and LH may function in the progression of breast cancer.

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