Urinary And Plasma Androgens In Benign Breast Disease - Possible Relation To Breast-Cancer

Concentrations of plasma total 11-deoxy-17-ketosteroids and dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate were measured in normal healthy women and in women with benign breast disease. The mean plasma concentrations of these steroids were significantly subnormal in women aged 20-40 years with benign breast disease. Older women with benign breast disease had mean steroid levels similar to those in normal women. The same trend was found for urinary 11-deoxy-17-ketosteroids. These findings may be relevant to the increased risk of subsequent breast cancer in women with benign breast disease.