[Sex and pituitary hormone secretion in normal-height and tall adolescents with primary osteogenic sarcoma].

The paper deals with a comparison of basal levels of secretion of total testosterone (T) and estradiol-17 beta (E2), their free and albumin and sex-steroid-binding globulin fractions as well as LH, FSH, prolactin and STH in blood serum of 60 normal height and 60 tall healthy adolescents and those with primary osteogenic sarcoma of bones at different stages of puberty. The study established a significantly higher level of testosterone and free androgen index and a lowered concentration of sex-steroid-binding globulin in blood serum of both normal and tall adolescent patients with osteogenic sarcoma at different stages of puberty. No significant differences were found in said indexes of estrogens between sarcoma patients and a specific group chosen for comparison, as far as physical status is concerned. The role of sex steroid hormones and, particularly, that of androgens in the pathogenetical mechanisms of osteogenic sarcoma growth is discussed.