Urinary excretion of 17-ketosteroids in patients suffering from mammary cancer.

1. The excretion of dehydroepiandrosterone is lower in patients suffering from mammary cancer than in healthy women. 2. There doesn't exist any relation between the 17-ketosteroid excretion and the age of postmenopausal women. 3. Patients with mammary tumors in stages III and IV are characterized by a lower excretion of dehydroepiandrosterone in percental parts than patients in stages I and II. 4. In patients with mammary tumors in stages III and IV and in patients with recurrences independently from the tumor stages we find higher extrem values for aetiocholanolone and smaller ones for dehydroepiandrosterone than in the other stages. 5. The quotient of percental parts of excreted aetiocholanolone to dehydroepiandrosterone shows significantly higher values for patients with recurrences than without them. 6. The quotient of aetiocholanolone to dehydroepiandrosterone is not a valid factor for a postoperative control of recurrences of the disease.