Estrone sulfate concentrations in plasma of normal individuals, postmenopausal women with breast cancer, and men with cirrhosis.

Estrone sulfate is quantitatively the most important estrogen in plasma. A method for its determination in human plasma is described, and the precision, accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity are defined. Free steroids were extracted from plasma with diethyl ether and steroid sulfates were isolated with use of Vlitos' reagent (methylene blue in dilute H2SO4/Na2SO4 solution). After enzymic hydrolysis, estrone was isolated by chromatography on Celite and measured by radioimmunoassay. The mean concentrations (nmol/L +/- 1 SD) of estrone sulfate were 2.51 +/- 0.90 for plasma from 13 women in follicular phase, 5.33 +/- 1.55 for 17 women in luteal phase, 0.89 +/- 0.60 for 44 postmenopausal women, and 0.96 +/- 0.43 for 24 postmenopausal women with breast cancer. Results for postmenopausal women with or without breast cancer did not differ significantly. For 13 normal men, estrone sulfate concentrations were 2.62 +/- 0.79 nmol/L, and for a group of 19 cirrhotic men the mean value was 1.43 +/- 0.95 nmol/L, significantly lower than normal.