Urinary androgen- and estrogen excretion in men with pachydermia laryngis and cancer of the larynx.

Considering the larynx as a hormone dependent secondary sex characteristic has previously led to successful antiandrogentherapy of pachydermia of the vocal cords, which may constitute a precancerous state. As a first step to further evaluate the endocrine state of patients with precancerous lesions or cancer of the larynx, the urinary excretion of 17-hydroxysteroids, 17-ketosteroids, testosterone and estrogens has been determined in male patients with pachydermia laryngis (n = 15) or cancer of the larynx (n = 20) as compared to controls with different other otorhino-laryngological affections (n = 20). No difference between groups was found in 17-hydroxysteroids and no significant difference in 17-ketosteroid excretion. The pachydermia group as a whole showed significantly increased levels of testosterone (p = 0.01) and estrogen (p = 0.04) of 64.6 +/- 39.9 microgram/24 hr testosterone versus 34.7 +/- 19.3 microgram/24 hr in controls and 31.7 +/- 16 microgram/24 hr in laryngeal cancer and 277 +/- 14.8 microgram/24 hr total estrogens versus 19.1 +/- 12 microgram/24 hr and 17.8 +/- 8.1 microgram/24 hr respectively. These data further support the idea of hormonal factors playing an important role in the pathogenesis of pachydermia and thus possibly cancer of the larynx. So far, however, they do not permit definite conclusions on the pathogenetic mechanisms involved.