Salivary cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate levels in postmenopausal women with primary breast cancer.

Cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHAS) were measured in saliva from postmenopausal women with primary breast cancer and a control group of comparable age. Specimens were collected at 2-hr intervals during wake-span for two consecutive days, and circadian rhythmicity was demonstrated for each of the hormones in both populations. The marginally elevated levels of cortisol and lower levels of DHAS associated with the cancer group, and the larger inter-subject variation, make it unlikely that these hormone measurements would be of value in identifying women at risk of developing breast cancer.